LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Accession  .........  .9.1.6.22  ........     Class  _ 


The  Truth  of  Africa 


AGRICULTURAL— MINERAL 


A  Short  History  of  the  present   conditions  of 

Central  and  South  Africa*    Its  mountains,  rivers,  lakes, 

climate  and  climatic  changes  in  all  sections* 


BY 

H.    L,    SCOTT 

OAKLAND,  CAL. 
J90J 

PRICE,   TWENTY-FIVE    CENTS 


WM.    H.    DA"\ 
26  O'FARRELL  STREET,   S.  F. 


INTRODUCTION 

This  pamphlet  is  intended  to  show  particularly  the 
advantages  which  other  countries,  and  especially  South 
Africa,  offer  to  the  emigrant.  Life  is  not  so  easy  in  the 
United  States  but  that  one  may  consider  whether  other 
countries  do  not  in  some  respects  offer  better  oppor- 
tunities. 

During  the  extent  of  my  travels  I  have  paid  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  advantages  presented  for  agricul- 
tural pursuits  in  the  various  countries  in  which  I  have 
resided  and  in  none  have  I  found  the  great  promise 
which  South  Africa  holds  out  to  the  industrious.  A 
great  part  of  this  little  work  is  therefore  taken  up  with 
references  to  the  parts  of  Africa  best  suited  to  farming 
and  stock  raising.  I  have  attempted  to  show  in  some 
degree  the  quality  of  the  soil,  the  climate  and  the  wrater 
resources. 

I  have  been  a  planter  in  the  United  States  and  in 
South  Africa.  I  have  also  worked  on  farms  in  various 
parts  of  Australia  and  sugar  plantations  in  the  South 
Seas. 

I  therefore  present  this  pamphlet  in  the  hope  that 
it  may  be  found  of  some  use  to  the  reader. 

HORATIO  L,  SCOTT, 
Oakland,  Cal. 


GENERAL  REMARKS 

The  great  continent  of  Africa,  which  is  only  just  now 
beginning  to  be  thrown  open  for  the  enterprise  and 
commercial  industry  of  the  twentieth  century,  is  about 
11,000,000  square  miles  in  area.  Its  population  is 
roughly  estimated  at  200,000,000.  It  has  lain  dormant 
so  long  that  it  seems  impossible  to  consider  that  it  is 
really  awaking. 

The  development  of  the  Congo  region  is  perhaps  the 
most  striking  proof  of  the  development  of  the  internal 
resources  of  Africa.  Dutch,  French  and  Belgian  trading 
companies  have  established  about  twenty  stations  on  the 
upper  river  between  Stanley  Pools  and  Stanley  Falls. 
There  is  a  flourishing  Dutch  station  at  Stanley  Falls, 
1300  miles  up  the  river.  Several  steamers,  the  property 
of  these  companies,  ply  up  and  down  the  Congo  river. 
Large  ferries  are  being  made  for  the  convenience  of 
caravans,  and  the  small  streams  are  being  bridged.  No 
one  ever  imagined  that  the  Congo  river  trade  would 
advance  with  the  strides  that  it  is  now  making,  and  it 

§must  be  remembered  that  all  these  evidences  of  prosperity 
arise  from  trading  with  the  natives  only 
When  we  come  to  consider  the  actual  advance  made 
in  the  better  colonized  and  more  civilized  portions  of  the 
country  the  facts  are  staggering.  The  development  of 
the  mineral  resources  has  brought  every  other  develop- 

-[3]- 

91622 


ment  in  its  train.  Shipyards,  railways  and  all  the  plants 
for  the  carrying  on  of  great  enterprises  are  fast  coming 
into  being,  and  a  railroad  to  run  from  the  extreme  north 
to  the  farthest  south  is  only  a  question  of  a  short  time. 
This  road  will  run  through  a  beautiful,  fertile  and  well 
watered  country,  most  of  which  is  now  known  as  Rhodesia. 
This  district  is  situated,  roughly  speaking,  between  lati- 
tude 1 6  North  and  22  South;  and  longitude  20  West  and 
33  East. 

The  largest  part  of  the  extent  of  the  country  is  from 
3,500  to  5,000  feet  above  the  sea  level.  High  lying  parts, 
like  the  Transvaal,  have  a  climate  which  is  suitable  to 
all  settlers  from  the  temperate  regions.  The  air  is  clear 
and  invigorating,  and  although  the  days  are  hot  with  a 
heat  which  is,  however,  strengthening  rather  than  debil- 
itating, 'the  nights  both  in  winter  and  summer  are 
delightfully  cool.  There  are  no  such  nights  anywhere 
as  one  gets  in  South  Africa.  A  light  easterly  breeze 
blows  all  day  from  the  early  morning  and  subsides  again 
at  nightfall.  On  the  high  plateau  which  reaches  from 
Buluwayo  to  Salisbury  and  across  to  Manicaland  the 
thermometer  generally  registers  from  80  to  90  degrees 
in  the  shade.  This  sounds  very  uninviting,  but,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  unless  there  happens  to  be  an  atmospheric 
depression,  it  is  seldom  felt.  There  are  sometimes  rapid 
changes  of  temperature.  I  have  known  a  thermometer 
to  show  a  variation  of  twenty  degrees  in  a  few  hours, 
but  my  experience  leads  me  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
extremes  are  not  so  great  as  in  some  parts  of  the  United 

-Ul- 


States,  or  even  in  California.  The  climate  of  Rhodesia 
itself  is  certainly  more  temperate  and  less  liable  to 
sudden  changes. 

The  soil  throughout  the  greater  part  of  South  Africa 
is  dark  and  rich,  and  well  adapted  to  all  kinds  of  cereals. 
Corn ,  pumpkins,  beans,  potatoes  and  tobacco  thrive  well. 
In  my  opinion  fruit  would  grow  well  throughout  the 
northern  portion  of  South  Africa.  I  have  successfully 
grafted  tame  fruits  on  wild  fruit  trees  there.  My  ex- 
periments in  the  direction  of  fruit  culture  in  South  Africa 
have  been  almost  entirely  successful,  and  I  have  com- 
plete faith  in  the  establishment  of  a  high  profitable  fruit 
industry  in  that  country. 

Fruit  raising  and  farming  are  still  in  their  infancy. 
The  cultivation  of  the  soil  has  received  little  or  no  atten- 
tion from  migrants  who  go  to  Africa  to  seek  gold  or 
diamonds,  or  to  trade  with  the  natives,  and  give  no 
attention  to  the  more  solid  but  less  exciting  pursuits  of 
agriculture.  The  result  is  that  farming  is  almost  at  a 
standstill,  and  the  prices  of  farm  produce  are  exceedingly 
high.  One  can  practically  depend  upon  a  crop  every 
year,  and  in  some  parts  two  crops  may  be  usually 
realized.  The  acreage  every  year  is  diminishing  in  ex- 
tent, for  many  of  the  natives  who  used  to  farm  small 
plots  of  land  have  been  iattracted  by  the  high  wages 
offered  in  the  mines,  and  the  prices  of  farm  produce  are 
censequently  continually  on  the  rise. 

It  must  not  be  imagined,  however,  that  there  are  no 
drawbacks  to  farming  in  South  Africa.  Occasionally 

-[5]- 


great  swarms  of  locusts  cover  the  whole  face  of  tne 
country  and  destroy  all  the  cereals  for  many  miles.  It 
therefore  is  a  better  policy  to  take  up  with  some  crop 
which  is  exempt  from  locusts — such  a  crop  is  tobacco. 
This  crop  is  never  troubled  with  pests  of  any  sort. 

I  have  every  confidence  in  the  cultivation  of  tobacco; 
it  can  be  made  exceedingly  profitable.  The  tobacco 
grown  in  South  Africa  is  of  a  very  fine  quality.  If  it 
were  to  receive  anything  like  the  care  and  attention  to 
its  culture,  which  is  expended  upon  it  in  other  parts  of 
the  world,  I  am  sure  that  it  would  excel  the  products  of 
other  regions  in  fineness  and  in  delicacy.  The  most 
promising  of  all  crops  in  South  Africa,  in  my  estimation, 
is  the  tobacco  crop.  The  climatic  conditions  favor  its 
growth  in  every  respect. 

The  question  of  rainfall  is  naturally  a  serious  matter 
when  considering  the  adaptability  of  a  country  for  the 
purposes  of  cultivation.  The  rainy  season  and  the  warm 
season  are  found  together.  This  season  begins,  generally 
speaking,  about  November  and  ends  in  March. 

In  Rhodesia,  the  rainfall  varies  from  14^  inches  to 
about  45  inches  in  a  season.  Vegetation  grows  with 
almost  extraordinary  rapidity  and  to  a  degree  which  is 
seldom  found  elsewhere.  I  have  seen  grass  grow  to  the 
height  of  between  five  and  six  feet.  If  there  is  any  un- 
healthy season  in  South  Africa,  it  is  the  rainy  season. 
The  districts  to  which  the  term  unhealthy  can  be  applied 
are  few  in  number  and  are  to  be  found  in  the  low,  marshy 
lands.  Where  the  vegetation  is  very  thick  in  the  marshy 

-[61- 


districts,  it  decomposes,  and  thus  gives  off  gases  which 
tend  to  the  propagation  of  malaria.  Where  the  low 
places  have  been  cultivated  and  the  marshes  reclaimed 
and  planted,  the  fever  disappears  and  these  districts  lose 
their  bad  reputation  for  unhealthiness. 

The  best  districts  are:  Cape  Colony,  the  Orange  River 
Colony,  the  Transvaal  and  Bechuanaland.  In  all  these 
colonies  the  climate  is  healthy  and  mild.  In  the  Orange 
River  Colony  and  the  Transvaal  the  climate  is  a  little 
cold,  owing  to  their  elevation.  They  have  an  altitude 
of  about  4,500  feet  above  the  sea  level.  In  all  these  dis- 
tricts the  land  is  exceedingly  adaptable  for  stock  raising 
and  farming  purposes.  There  are  several  large  rivers 
with  abundance  of  water,  which  could  be  utilized  for 
irrigating  great  tracts  of  country.  In  some  places  it 
would  be  necessary  to  raise  the  water  by  pumping;  in 
other  cases  ditches  might  be  dug. 

In  the  northeastern  parts  of  Bechuanaland,  along  the 
Limpopo  river,  vast  tracts  of  uncultivated  land  lie,  wait- 
ing the  agriculturist  to  convert  them  into  waving  fields 
of  rich  and  valuable  grain.  Many  fine  and  promising 
tracts  of  land  lie  along  the  route  of  the  proposed  line  of 
railway  from  the  Cape  to  Cairo.  I  have  traveled  for 
hundreds  of  miles  over  the  proposed  route  and  have 
seen  beautiful  valleys  and  water  courses,  whose  only 
inhabitants  were  wild  beasts  and  innumerable  flocks  of 
wild  fowl.  They  lie  there,  smiling,  in  the  sun,  full  of 
the  promise  of  fertility,  asking  for  the  hand  of  man  to 
cultivate  them.  Many  of  these  valleys  are  in  districts 

-[7]- 


7,000  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  they  are  accordingly 
very  healthy  and  the  climate  exceedingly  mild. 

Of  course,  the  existence  of  such  places  cannot  be  kept 
secret  and  already  many  people  from  foreign  countries 
are  going  to  Africa  and  penetrating  the  interior.  They 
are  settling  down  and  making  comfortable  homes  along 
the  proposed  line  of  railroad.  The  main  idea  of  this 
railroad  enterprise  is  to  tap  the  resources  of  Central  Africa 
and  to  obtain  laborers  for  the  great  mines  of  the  Rand. 

For  mining  work  native  labor  is  preferred  to  all 
other.  Native  labor  is  very  scarce  in  Cape  Colony,  be- 
cause so  many  of  the  native  people  have  homes  and 
farms  and  small  businesses  of  their  own.  They  are  also 
employed  by  the  white  inhabitants  as  domestic  servants, 
and  by  the  Government  in  the  Postal,  Telegraph  and 
Railroad  Departments.  For  cheaper  labor,  therefore, 
the  agents  of  the  great  mining  companies  must  go  into 
the  interior.  This  question  of  obtaining  sufficient 
native  labor  is  at  present  almost  incapable  of  solution, 
because  the  journey  into  the  interior  involves  much 
time  and  considerable  hardship.  As  soon  as  the  railroad 
is  built,  however,  these  difficulties  will  vanish.  The 
road  into  the  midst  of  a  teeming  native  population  will 
then  lay  wide  open  and  the  almost  inexhaustible  resources 
of  labor  in  the  native  races  will  be  tapped  and  exploited 
for  the  benefit  of  the  commercial  speculators  on  the  Rand. 
However  one  may  lament  the  break-up  of  the  native 
population,  the  result  will  nevertheless  be  accomplished, 
and  the  native  races  of  the  African  jungles  will,  by  their 

-18]- 


labor,  minister  to  the  comfort  and  wealth  of  thousands 
of  investors  in  Europe  and  America. 

Commercial  interests  in  Africa  have  thus  early  assumed 
considerable  importance.  The  Congo  region,  to  which 
reference  has  already  been  made,  is  particularly 
rich  and  is  adding  to  its  value  continually.  French, 
Dutch  and  Belgians  are  engaged  in  active  rivalry  and 
the  country  is  filled  with  their  trading  stations.  The 
Dutch  alone  have  at  least  five  steamers  on  the  Upper 
Congo.  The  value  of  the  exchanges  with  the  native 
tribes  must  be  very  considerable,  or  we  should  not  wit- 
ness this  struggle  to  obtain  trade.  This  strenuous 
rivalry  speaks  well  for  the  resources  of  the  Congo  re- 
gion .  And  it  must  be  remembered  that  these  resources 
are  only  in  their  infancy  and  obtained  by  the  crude 
methods  naturally  employed  by  the  natives. 

These  facts  do  not  escape  the  eye  of  the  European 
statesman  and  they  are,  consequently,  engaged  in  a 
struggle  to  obtain  more  and  more  African  territory  for 
the  purposes  of  colonization.  Protectorates  are  being 
established  everywhere,  and  vast  tracts  pass  into  the 
hands  of  the  European  Foreign  Offices.  Native  terri- 
tory has  consequently  been  distributed  with  such  indus- 
try that  it  can  only  be  a  very  short  time  before  nothing 
will  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  native  people.  One  of 
the  pioneers  of  Matabeleland  says: 

"The  possibilities  of  this  great  country  of  ours  are 
incalculable.  It  will  be  wonderful  if  Rhodesia  does  not 
uphold  the  reputation  of  South  Africa  as  being  a  land  of 

-[9]- 


surprises  and  latent  wealth.  The  colony  produces 
diamond  mines  and  wool.  The  Free  State  also  produces 
wool,  horses  and  diamonds.  Namaqualand  produces 
copper;  Basuto  land  produces  grain  and  horses;  Natal 
produces  coal,  sugar  and  tea;  the  Transvaal  has  its  far- 
famed  gold  mines.  Surely  Rhodesia,  with  a  territory 
almost  as  vast  as  all  these  put  together,  will  produce 
something.  Coal  we  have  here  in  abundance  and  of  a 
very  good  quality.  The  principal  beds  are  situated  to 
the  south  of  the  Zambesi  river,  about  180  miles  from 
Bulawayo.  Within  the  last  few  years  good  coal  has 
been  found  along  the  line  of  the  railway,  not  many  miles 
from  Palapye.  If  this,  as  we  anticipate,  turns  out  well, 
it  will  be  a  source  of  supply  for  Tati  and  all  the  sur- 
rounding country,  as  well  as  for  the  stations  along  the 
line  to  the  north  and  as  far  south  as  Kimberley,  which 
itself  will  be  a  large  consumer.  The  coal  is  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  the  economical  working  of  gold  mines  in  a 
country  like  this,  where  we  have  no  water  power  for 
motive  purposes.  The  consumption  of  coal  will  be  great. 
The  mines  may  be  able  to  go  on  for  a  few  years  using 
wood  for  fuel,  but  wood,  plentiful  as  it  is  in  certain 
parts  will  soon  get  exhausted,  and  then  we  must  fall 
back  on  the  indispensable  coal.  To  the  north  and  west  of 
Bulawayo  there  are  timber  forests  which  stretch  over 
hundreds  of  miles  of  country.  These  contain  a  hard 
grained  native  teak.  The  wood  is  capable  of  taking  a 
beautiful  mahogany  polish,  and  furniture  made  from  it 
}s  equal  to  the  best  imported  material  of  the  same  nature, 

-[10]- 


if  not  better.  The  market  in  South  Africa,  let  alone 
Europe,  when  it  becomes  generally  known,  should  be 
unlimited. 

Salt  pans  of  great  extent  exist  on  our  southwest- 
ern side,  and  steps  will  presently  be  taken  to' 
open  them  up.  To  the  north,  besides  the  gold, 
it  is  known  that  there  are  extensive  copper  mines, 
which  are  said  to  contain  an  unlimited  quantity 
of  almost  pure  copper.  Indications  of  petroleum  have 
been  found  in  two  or  three  parts  of  the  country,  but 
the  ground  has  not  been  thoroughly  prospected.  There 
are  a  hundred  and  one  other  things  which  the  country 
is  known  to  produce,  but  we  must  leave  them  alone  for 
the  present.  To  go  into  the  agricultural  and  stock 
raising  possibilities  of  South  Africa  would  require  a 
volume  of  matter,  which  I  cannot  presently  supply. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  country  is  eminently  adapted 
for  the  production  of  all  sorts  of  grains  and  fruits. 

' '  In  most  parts  of  South  Africa,  sickness  is  general 
among  horses  in  the  wet  season — much  more  so  than  in 
the  dry  season  in  the  northern  part  of  South  Africa.  Mules 
and  donkeys  seem  to  stand  the  sick  season  better  than 
the  horses.  Horses  that  are  kept  on  the  highlands 
stand  the  sickness  better  than  those  that  are  kept  on 
the  lowlands." 

As  in  all  other  countries,  sickness  will  disappear  in 
Africa  to  a  great  degree  before  the  advance  of  civiliza- 
tion. The  best  animals  for  farm  and  transport  use  are 
oxen,  as  they  are  satisfied  with  a  diet  of  grass.  Of  the 

-L"h 


horses,  however,  those  that  are  raised  in  Basuto  land 
and  the  Orange  River  Colony,  suffer  but  slightly  from 
sickness. 


TOWNS 

The  most  important  towns  on  the  south  and  southeast 
coast  are:  Cape  Town,  Port  Elizabeth,  East,  London. 
All  these  are  in  Cape  Colony.  In  Natal,  we  find  the 
town  of  Durban.  These  are  all  seaport  towns  and  have 
large  and  growing  populations.  Steam  railways  run 
from  each  of  these  towns  to  the  smaller  ones  in  the  interior 
Each  town  has  its  own  system  of  electric  roads,  and  each  is 
fully  provided  with  all  the  conveniences  and  comforts 
which  may  be  expected  from  towns  of  their  size. 


THE  TRANSKEI,  A  TYPICAL  DISTRICT 

I  have  already  referred  to  the  opportunities  for  agri- 
culture and  stock  raising  which  exist  in  such  large  num- 
bers all  through  South  Africa.  The  case  of  the  Transkei, 
however,  is  now  cited  as  a  fair  sample  of  the  most  prom- 
ising districts.  It  is  by  no  means  an  isolated  case,  it  is 
really  typical  of  many  such . 

There  is  no  intention  on  the  part  of  the  writer  to  boom 
the  places,  but  as  I  have  set  out  on  the  task  of  laying 
the  truth  about  South  Africa  before  you,  it  is  only  just 
that  you  should  learn  of  these  places  at  first  hand. 


An  old  resident,  speaking  of  the  Transkei,  which  is  in 
the  northeastern  part  of  Cape  Colony,  writes: 

ENTHI,AMBI,  NEAR  BUTTERWORTH,  TRANSKEI. 

April  8,  1899. 
SIR: 

As  one  who  has  resided  over  twenty  years  in  these 
parts,  I  am  convinced  that  the  people  of  the  Colony 
proper  know  little  or  nothing  of  this  portion  of  the  coun- 
try, looking  upon  it  as  an  outlandish  place,  inhabited  by 
thousands  of  half  savages.  Stray  visitors  through  this 
marvelous  country  are  simply  astonished,  and,  as  they 
journey,  become  actually  astounded  at  its  beauty,  its  fer- 
tility, its  richness  in  everything  agricultural — a  land 
truly  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  Yet  it  is  so  little 
known  to  practical,  hard  working  farmers,  striving  to 
make  ends  meet — a  poor  and  hard-earned  living.  L,ook 
at  the  picture  on  this  side.  The  black  pastoralist  with 
his  flocks  thriving  and  increasing  under  the  rudest  care 
—behold  him  reaping  where  he  can  scarcely  be  said  to 
have  sown,  his  agricultural  attempts  being  simplicity  in 
the  extreme.  He  scatters  the  seed  and  then  scratches 
the  earth  over  in  the  roughest  possible  manner,  yet 
reaping  large  crops,  far  beyond  his  own  needs  and  flood- 
ing the  colonial  markets  with  grain,  living  a  life  of  ease 
and  contentment.  Probably  in  no  other  part  of  the 
world  could  such  a  life  be  possible.  Read  what  Professor 
Hahn  says  to  the  Farmers'  Conference  at  the  late 
Grahamstown  Exhibition:  ' 'A  greater  contrast  in  the 
general  aspect  of  the  two  countries  can  hardly  be  con- 

-[13]- 


ceived — the  one  a  stony  desert  with  a  scanty  vegetation, 
dry  and  uncertain  climate,  depending  on  irrigation  from 
boring  and  dam  constructing  chiefly  for  its  agricultural 
prospects.  There  across  is  Kei,  a  beautiful  grass  cov- 
ered and  wooded  valley,  with  plenty  of  water — a  veritable 
Garden  of  Eden — which,  unfortunately,  is  very  little 
known  in  the  Colony.  Grain  of  all  kinds,  vegetables, 
tobacco,  hemp,  flax,  cot  ton,  coffee,  pineapples,  trees  of  every 
kind  (useful  and  ornamental)  flourish  and  grow  profusely, 
needing  no  expensive  irrigation.  The  Enthlambi  valley 
has  long  been  known  to  many  for  its  richness  of  soil  and 
as  a  grand  grazing  run  for  cattle,  sheep,  goats  and 
horses.  Yours,  etc., 

OKSIS. 

The  above  I  repeat  is  not  quoted  as  an  advertisement; 
it  is  simply  to  show  that  places  of  exceedingly  great 
fertility  exist  in  South  Africa.  The  history  of  the  recent 
war  has  given  the  great  mass  of  people  more  information 
respecting  the  appearance  and  climate  of  South  Africa 
than  they  had  hitherto  possessed,  or  than  they  would 
have  been  likely  to  gain  in  a  lifetime  under  ordinary 
conditions.  But  such  information  has  come  in  a  way 
that  is  not  altogether  satisfactory.  There  has  been  too 
much  picturesque  writing  for  the  truth  to  have  been  alto- 
gether stated.  The  glamor  of  the  excitement  of  war  and 
the  consequent  exaggeration  in  the  description  of  the 
country  has  tended  to  the  depicting  of  the  natural  disad- 
vantages in  more  or  less  sombre  colors.  The  ordinary 
reader  is  convinced  that  South  Africa  is  a  hot,  sterile 

-[14]- 


plain  or  rolling  prairie,  and  that  it  possesses  no  attrac- 
tions for  the  ordinary  man.  He  thinks  it  is  a  burning 
district,  devoid  of  shade,  the  corrugated  iron  roofs  of 
whose  houses  reflect  the  heat  back  from  their  inhospitable 
and  poverty-stricken  walls. 

It  is  to  correct  such  an  impression  that  I  have  men- 
tioned Transkei.  There  is  nothing  in  which  Transkei 
excels  many  other  places,  the  names  of  which  are  un- 
known outside  their  immediate  neighborhood.  In  my 
travels,  I  have  met  in  many  places  in  many  parts  of 
Africa  spots  that  compare  very  well  with  the  description 
of  Transkei,  as  I  have  just  quoted  it.  In  all  these  places 
there  is  the  same  luxuriance  of  vegetation,  the  same 
facility  of  production,  the  same  beauty  of  scenery  and 
the  same  charm  of  climate  and  of  life.  Nowhere  else  in 
the  world  has  it  been  my  fortune  to  see  such  places; 
nowhere  else  in  the  world  has  such  a  longing  possessed 
me  to  cease  my  wanderings  and  settle  down  to  enjoy  life 
and  the  fortune  which  appears  to  spring  spontaneously 
from  the  soil.  Pondoland,  East  Griqualand  and  Natal 
have  scores  and  scores  of  places  which  compare  very 
favorably  with  Transkei.  In  Zululand,  I  could  go  to 
many  places  equally  favored  by  nature  and  equally  well 
equipped  with  every  material  for  happiness.  In  the 
interior  of  Africa— that  magic  unknown  land— which  lies 
far  behind  mountain  ranges  and  through  deep  forests, 
there  are  hidden  in  its  recesses  many  such  paradises.  It 
is  a  libel  upon  the  country  to  describe  it  as  barren  and 
desolate.  It  is  like  a  rough  shell,  which,  if  you  will 

-[15]- 


take  the  trouble  to  pierce,  serves  but  as  the  shelter  for 
the  wonderful  richness  of  the  fruit  within.  So  it  is  with 
South  Africa.  The  dreary  veldt,  the  barren  mountains, 
the  dry  plains  are  but  the  husk  of  the  country;  within  is 
the  beauty,  the  prosperity  and  the  peace  of  places  like 
Transkei.  Railroads  are  running  through  some  of  these 
districts  already.  In  a  few  years  they  will  all  be  tra- 
versed by  the  railroad. 

In  these  fertile  districts,  there  is  a  possibility  for  all 
kinds  of  cultivation.  One  industry  must,  before  long, 
assume  considerable  importance  which  has,  up  to  the 
present,  by  no  means  received  the  attention  which  it  has 
deserved.  There  is  a  scarcity  of  timber  for  building  and 
kindred  purposes.  The  mines  also  require  great  quan- 
tities of  timber.  It  has  been  discovered  that  blue  gum 
and  black  wortle  trees  grow  very  rapidly  when  planted 
in  South  Africa,  and  the  growth  of  these  trees  will,  be- 
fore long,  piove  to  be  a  very  valuable  industry.  Fenc- 
ing, and  hundreds  of  other  demands  incidental  to  the 
growth  of  a  new  country,  will  keep  up  the  demand  for 
timber  of  the  nature  of  which  I  have  spoken,  and  the 
farmer  who  takes  time  by  the  forelock,  and  gets  to  work 
at  the  raising  of  paying  lumber  will  never  regret  the 
experiment. 

In  fact,  nearly  everything  that  can  be  grown  brings  a 
fair  return,  and  that  because  the  demand  for  all  agricul- 
tural products  is  exceeeingly  unusual,  since  the  enter- 
prise and  energy  which  would,  under  normal  conditions, 
be  devoted  to  agriculture  and  kindred  pursuits,  are,  at 


present,  engaged  in  the  search  for  gold  and  precious 
stones,  and  in  crowding  into  the  new  cities  in  the  hope 
that  some  sudden  turn  of  the  wheel  of  fortune  may  place 
the  lucky  speculator  beyond  the  need  of  earning  a  living 
by  work. 

CENTRAL  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA 

Central  Equatorial  Africa  is  a  country  which  offers 
many  inducements.  This  seems  a  curious  statement  to 
make  of  a  land  which  within  so  short  a  time  was  really 
a  land  of  mystery.  All  across  the  map  of  Africa  was 
written,  not  very  long  ago,  the  word  "unexplored." 
Now,  the  country  is  one  which  tenders  the  very  richest 
rewards  to  the  energetic  and  persevering.  The  names 
of  Stanley  and  Livingstone  are  reminiscent  of  adventure 
and  danger,  of  unenligtened  men  and  savage  beasts.  But, 
such  wonders  are  worked  nowadays  in  a  moment  of 
time,  as  it  were,  and  we  are  already  speaking  of  Central 
Africa,  as  a  probable  place  for  settlement,  and  before 
very  long,  the  whole  of  that  great  country  will  be  dotted 
with  homes.  The  land  will  be  cultivated  and  the  post- 
man will  be  bringing  letters  to  the  inhabitants  from 
relatives  in  Europe  and  America.  More  than  that,  be- 
fore very  long,  there  will  be  little  towns  in  those  dis- 
tricts with  telegraph  and  telephone,  electric  cars  and  all 
that  go  to  make  up  the  features  of  the  modern  city.  The 
inhabitants  will  stroll  round  the  fountain  on  the  plaza 
and  listen  to  the  music  of  Strauss,  just  as  they  do  in  my 
own  Oakland.  It  is  very  strange  to  think  that  men  will 

-[17]- 


grow  up  with  a  pride  of  citizenship  in  Central  Africa—- 
that the  time  will  come,  and  not  be  very  long  coming, 
when  one  shall  say  with  a  touch  of  pride,  that  he  is  a 
native  Central  African,  just  as  people  now  pride  them-: 
selves  on  being  native  New  Zealanders  and  native  Cali- 
fornians.  Such,  however,  will  be  the  working  of 
destiny,  and  I  cannot  imagine  a  fairer  nor  a  brighter 
country  to  claim  as  one's  own. 

It  is  a  high  plateau,  healthy  and  invigorating,  with 
all  that  the  best  of  climate  and  the  most  fruitful  of  soils 
can  offer  in  the  direction  of  human  happiness.  The 
scenery  is  surpassingly  beautiful.  There  are  chains  of 
great  lakes,  which  sparkle  in  the  sun  like  the  sea  itself; 
lakes  beside  which  those  of  Michigan  are  almost  small. 
The  rivers  abound  and  many  of  them  are  very  large  and 
navigable  for  miles  and  miles.  The  means  of  commu- 
nication afforded  by  these  rivers  and  lakes  are  almost 
perfect.  No  irrigation  is  required;  nature  herself  pro- 
vides everything  that  is  needed.  The  reader  will  say 
that  I  am  prejudiced  in  favor  of  Central  Africa,  and, 
frankly,  I  am.  But  I  have  no  axe  to  grind.  I  describe 
just  the  impressions  which  the  country  made  upon  me, 
as  I  hunted  and  traded  through  it.  As  for  the  lakes  and 
rivers,  I  have  steered  my  pioneer  boat  upon  them;  I 
have  hunted  in  the  forests;  I  have  ridden  through  the 
beautiful,  deserted  valleys,  and  I  have  supped  and  slept 
among  people  who  have  all  the  luxuries  of  life,  as  far  as 
their  simple  tastes  require  luxuries,  without  any  of  the 
strenuous  toil,  which  our  laborers  have  to  put  forth  to 


gain  even  a  scanty  subsistence.  The  wealth  of  the 
native,  as  I  have  said  before,  is  the  best  proof  of  the 
natural  productiveness  of  the  soil.  He  has  all  that  can 
satisfy  his  elementary  needs,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  is 
able  to  make  trading  with  him,  on  the  part  of  the  Euro- 
pean, profitable  and  extensive.  It  may  be  imagined, 
therefore,  that  the  wealth  which  is  possible  of  extraction 
from  the  country  by  those  skilled  in  modern  methods, 
energetically  and  skillfully  applied,  must  be  very  large. 
These  facts  cannot  possibly  escape  public  notice,  and  as 
soon  as  the  opportunity  comes,  Equatorial  Africa  will  be 
invaded  by  a  host  of  men,  anxious  fora  first  choice  of  the 
rich  districts.  It  is  only  waiting  for  the  railroad  to 
open.  When  the  railroad  is  through,  the  door,  which 
hides  the  magic  treasures  of  Equatorial  Africa  from  the 
knowledge  of  the  world,  will  be  unlocked,  and  its  won- 
derful wealth  will  be  open  for  the  sight  of  the  nations. 
And  this  cannot  be  very  long.  It  is  a  very  few  years 
since  Khartoum  was  a  distant  town  on  the  Nile,  the 
capital  of  a  powerful  native  race.  It  seems 
but  yesterday  since  the  story  of  Gordon's  relief 
column  and  its  failure  fascinated  and  horrified  the  civil- 
ized world,  and  yet  today  Khartoum  is  a  growing  and 
prosperous  city,  the  centre  of  a  great  trade,  a  city  which 
is  as  accessible  as  New  York,  and  to  which  the  excursion 
agents  run  regular  excursions.  Events  move  so  rapidly 
and  are  so  full  of  significance  that  it  is  nonsense  to  place 
any  bounds  upon  the  possibilities  of  advance.  Equatorial 
Africa  will,  before  long,  be  a  well  recognized  place  for 

-[19]- 


immigration,  and  will  find  a  place  in  the  world's  market 
for  the  disposition  of  its  products.  Even  now  in  Africa 
the  movement  has  begun.  Long  trains  of  wagons,  mov- 
ing slowly  along,  drawn  by  oxen,  are  tending,  step  by 
step  and  mile  by  mile,  to  these  regions.  Already  the 
whisper  of  the  riches  of  the  interior  has  penetrated  to 
the  colonies,  and  those  adventurous  spirits,  who  are  ever 
eager  and  alert  for  the  newest  opportunities,  are  already 
on  the  move  and  are  bending  their  course  along  the  hard, 
long  trail,  which  leads  into  the  great  interor.  Month 
after  month  they  will  be  on  the  march;  month  after 
month  the  oxen  will  be  inspanned  in  the  morning  and 
outspanned  again  at  night.  They  will  crop  the  coarse 
grass  on  the  veldt,  and  settle  down  to  sleep  under  the 
wonderful  African  sky.  The  little  children,  which 
started  as  babies  in  the  great  caravan,  will  grow  in  the 
beautiful  fresh  air  with  every  mile  of  the  journey,  and 
before  the  end  of  it  is  reached,  will  be  fine  and  sturdy 
specimens  of  the  race  with  which  the  new  continent  is  to 
be  peopled.  Then,  one  day,  they  will  come  to  a  beautiful 
lake  in  the  interior,  and  they  will  unharness  their  beasts 

for  good,  and  the  smoke  of  the  settlement  will  rise  into 
the  clear,  pure  air.  Along  the  shores  of  these  lakes  there 
are  untold  miles  of  the  most  beautiful  meadow  land,,  such 
land  as  is  seldom  seen.  Here  there  is  water  and  grass  for 
millions  of  cattle  and  the  natural  home  of  a  pastoral  and 
stock  raising  people.  Even  now  the  natives  drive  their 
herds  along  the  lakes  and  water  their  stock  at  the  brim 

of  the  fresh  water  ocean. 


Central  Africa  has  lain  hidden  for  so  long  for  two 
reasons:  the  absence  of  harbors  and  the  want  of  rivers. 
There  are  many  rivers  of  great  extent  and  volume  of 
water.  They,  however,  are  not  proportionate  to  the 
size  of  the  country,  and  the)7  do  not  offer  any  opportun- 
ity for  navigation  purposes  from  the  outside.  The 
course  of  some  of  the  finest  rivers  is  impeded  at  the 
lower  course  by  rapids,  which  cause  obstruction  and 
prevent  a  free  access  to  the  interior. 

RIVERS  OF  CENTRAL  AFRICA 

Following  are  the  length  and  drainage  area  of  some  of 
the  larger  rivers  of  Central  Africa:  The  Nile  runs  through 
Central  Africa  for  about  4020  miles;  the  Congo  waters 
the  country  for  a  distance  of  2883  miles;  the  Zambesi 
is  about  880  miles  long;  the  Senegal  is  about  980  miles 
long.  These  rivers  are  such  as  are  well  known  at  the 
present  time  and  do  not  form,  by  any  means,  a  complete 
or  accurate  list.  There  are,  necessarily,  many  more 
rivers  and  streams  which  are  neither  investigated  nor 
discovered  and  which  have  not  even  been  examined 
with  regard  to  their  capacities  for  carrying  freight  or  for 
manufacturing  purposes.  The  rivers  of  Africa  are,  as 
yet,  comparatively  unknown — their  extent  is  by  no  means 
thoroughly  settled.  Perhaps  the  best  guide  to  the  water 
facilities  of  a  country  is  a  man  who  is  thoroughly  com- 
petent to  judge,  and  who  has  traversed  the  country  with 
a  purpose,  keeping  an  observant  eye  on  the  various 
possibilities  of  the  land  through  which  he  passes,  who 
knows  the  advantages  of  a  good  water  supply  and  is 


able  to  detect  deficiency  in  that  respect.  The  writer  of 
this  claims  to  be  such  a  man.  He  has  traveled  through 
too  many  countries  not  to  have  acquired  the  capacity 
of  measuring  the  potentialities  of  the  various  lands 
through  which  he  goes.  After  close  and  accurate  ob- 
servation by  actual  personal  experience,  I  am  con- 
vinced of  the  fact  that  the  water  supply  of  Equatorial 
Africa  will  meet  all  the  needs  of  the  settler,  and  will, 
morover,  furnish  many  good  opportunities  for  internal 
commerce  and  communication  between  different  parts  of 
the  country,  as  well  as  provide  the  motive  power  for  the 
making  of  electricity  and  the  working  of  machinery, 
such  as  is  now  used  in  the  civilized  and  settled  districts  of 
the  modern  world. 

LAKES  OF  CENTRAL  AFRICA 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  size  and 
beauty  of  most  of  the  lakes  of  Central  Africa.  It  is  a 
country  which  possesses  many  and  beautiful  stretches  of 
freshwater.  Conspicuous  among  these  are:  Victoria 
Nyanza,  which  has  an  area  of  32,160  square  miles;  Ny- 
assa  covers  an  area  of  18,000  square  miles;  Cad,  13,149 
square  miles  and  Tanganyika,  12,140  square  miles.  Al- 
bert Nyanza  is  1,780  square  miles  in  extent  and  the 
beautiful  little  lake  of  Ngami  is  297  square  miles  in  area. 
Of  these  lakes  it  must  be  said,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
rivers,  that  the  facts  given  are  by  no  means  final.  Much 
exploration  and  investigation  have  yet  to  be  carried  on 
before  we  arrive  at  anything  like  accuracy  in  estimating 

-[22]- 


the  magnitude  and  the  resources  of  the  Central  African 
water  system.  What  has  been  given  is  an  approximation 
more  or  less  accurate,  of  such  of  the  lakes  as  have  been 
explored,  and  concerning  which  certain  data  which  can 
be  fairly  well  relied  upon,  have  been  collected* 

From  this,  however,  it  may  be  seen  that  there  i3 
Very  little  probability  of  any  lack  of  water.  This  water 
has  been  utilized  before  for  irrigation  purposes  and  there 
is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  again  be  put  to  the  same 
uses.  Many  ditches  are  found  now  filled  with  sand,  but 
which  were  evidently,  some  time  or  other,  in  the  more 
remote  past,  irrigation  ditches.  The  ancient  occupants 
of  this  country,  whoever  they  may  have  been,  evidently 
had  some  comprehension  of  the  uses  of  irrigation  and 
some  way  of  handling  the  water  for  purposes  of  cultiva- 
tion. There  are  many  signs  that  the  interior  was  at  one 
time  inhabited  by  a  race  of  superior  culture  and  consider- 
able efficiency  in  some  of  the  arts.  The  granite  build- 
ings, the  ruins  of  which  are  frequently  discovered,  are 
of  tremendous  size.  The  plan  of  their  construction,  as 
far  as  can  be  determined,  from  the  size  of  the  stones  and 
the  manner  in  which  they  have  been  laid,  shows  much 
architectural  skill  and  a  degree  of  power  over  the  hand- 
ling of  heavy  and  bulky  masses  of  stone,  which  is  really 
remarkable,  considering  the  machinery,  which  they  must 
have  been  able  to  bring  to  their  aid.  There  is  no  lack 
of  artistic  finish,  either,  about  the  buildings.  The  stones 
are  beautifully  carved  and  intricate,  and  in  some  respects, 
really  artistic  designs  show  that  the  work  was  carried 


out  by  a  race  which  was  capable  of  some  degree  of 
artistic  feeling  and  was  probably  possessed  of  a  very 
considerable  degree  of  refinement  and  culture. 

Among  the  remains  of  a  civilization,  now  long  passed, 
may  be  mentioned  the  old  gold  mines  which  are  frequently 
found.  At  least,  it  is  generally  supposed,  that  they  were 
gold  mines,  though  no  positive  proof  is  forthcoming  upon 
that  score.  It  is  said  that  these  mines  were  worked  by 
the  slaves  of  King  Solomon,  and  that  this  is  the  Ophir 
which  is  mentioned  in  the  scriptures  as  being  the  place 
which  supplied  to  him  a  large  portion  of  his  gold  used  in 
the  ornamentation  of  the  sacred  places.  However,  this 
may  be,  there  does  not  seem  any  reason  to  set  any  par- 
ticular date  for  this  mining,  and  there  is  certainly  no 
very  cogent  reason  to  ascribe  the  work  to  the  artisans  of 
the  great  Hebrew  king.  On  the  other  hand,  it  does  not 
appear  unlikely  that  the  Arabs  came  down  from  the 
north  in  search  of  gold  and  opened  up  the  mines.  They 
would  work  them  with  their  slaves  and  would  form  a 
powerful  colonization  party.  To  the  south  and  all 
around  them,  however,  lay  the  native  tribes,  strong  and 
fierce,  and  the  time  may  easily  have  come  when  the 
attacks  of  these  tribes  would  be  sufficiently  vigorous  to 
cause  the  abandonment  of  the  work  by  the  Arabs.  This 
must  have  happened  a  very  long  period  of  time  ago  and 
possibly  in  the  days  of  King  Solomon,  but  of  this  we 
have  no  knowledge. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  century  just  passed  when  the 
Europeans  went  into  Mashonaland,  they  found 


natives  at  work  mining.  The  Portugese  undoubtedly 
carried  on  an  exchange  with  the  natives  for  gold,  and 
this  gold  must  have  been  mined  and  smelted  by  the 
natives.  Whether  they  evolved  the  production  of  gold 
out  of  their  own  experience,  and  found  its  utility  as  a 
matter  of  tribal  knowledge,  cannot  be  stated.  It  hardly 
appears  probable  that  this  was  so;  it  seems  more  likely 
that  they  learned  it  from  the  outside. 

The  buildings  show  specimens  of  pottery  with  images 
of  birds  and  beasts  adorning  it.  This  is  a  mark  of 
higher  civilization  than  we  find  at  present  in  these  dis- 
tricts. The  ability  to  make  pottery  is  a  recognized  proof 
that  a  people  has  attained  a  certain  footing  in  the  march 
of  progress  which  may  entitle  them  to  be  considered  as 
being  directly  on  the  road  to  what  is  termed  civilization. 
Either  the  peoples  of  this  district  have  retrograded  or 
they  must  have  derived  their  art  fromsome  outside  source. 
What  makes  this  appear  all  the  more  likely  is  the  fact  that 
large  quantities  of  gold  beads  and  chains  are  found  in  two 
or  three  places  and  show  a  degree  of  art  which  is  not 
often,  or  ever,  attained  among  savage  people.  It  is  evi- 
dent, at  all  events,  that  gold  mining  was,  at  one  time,  a 
very  important  industry  in  the  district  in  question,  and 
that  it  has  been  practically  abandoned.  Perhaps  the  invad- 
ers broke  up  their  strongholds  and  departed  when  they  had 
all  the  gold  which  they  were  able  to  get  by  the  use  of  the 
crude  implements  which  they  possessed.  It  is  astonish- 
ing, when  we  examine  these  implements,  to  understand 
how  they  managed  to  extract  the  tremendous  quantiti^ 

-[25J- 


bf  quartz,  which  we  find  piled  up  in  heaps  around  the 
old  woi  kings.  It  seems  that  when  they  got  to  a  hard 
reef  they  proceeded  to  soften  it  by  means  of  fire,  which 
they  built  upon  the  exposed  portion  of  the  reef.  They 
then  dug  down.  As  they  could  not  go  beyond  the  water 
level,  for,  of  course,  they  had  no  means  of  contending 
with  the  water,  only  the  surface  of  the  reef  was  touched. 
The  marks  of  the  fires,which  they  built  to  soften  the  reef, 
are  visible  in  many  of  the  old  workings.  The  extraction 
of  gold  could  not  have  been  a  paying  enterprise,  as  we 
understand  it.  The  quartz  was  all  crushed  by  hand  be- 
tween stones  and  the  sand  was  then  carried  to  the  near- 
est waterand  carefully  washed  in  a  wooden  or  earthenware 
dish.  Large  numbers  of  the  old  stones  and  mortars  used 
by  them  are  still  to  be  found  lying  about  the  country  in 
various  places. 

It  is  evident  that  the  mineral  resources  of  Central 
Africa  are  by  no  means  gauged,  and  that  there  ought  to 
be  many  chances  for  the  miner  and  the  prospector.  This 
pamphlet,  however,  does  not  undertake  to  deal  with 
those  aspects  of  South  African  life,  but  devotes  itself 
exclusively  to  the  country,  as  viewed  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  practical  agriculturalist .  If  it  were  intended  to 
examine  the  mineral  resources  and  the  capabilities  of  the 
country  for  the  production  of  the  precious  metals,  the 
scope  of  the  work  would  have  to  be  greatly  extended. 

The  writer  is  a  firm  believer  that  the  happiest  life  is, 
after  all,  the  agricultural.  That  the  unhealthy  excite- 
ment and  the  uncertainty  of  the  miner's  life  do  not  tend 


to  ultimate  happiness,  even  when  the  efforts  to  gain 
wealth  have  been  crowned  with  success,  as  is  the  exper- 
ience of  the  writer,  and  in  how  few  instances  do  they 
even  approximate  to  success.  The  best  life  and  the 
most  free  from  worries  of  all  description  is  that  of  the 
farmer.  Nowhere  can  the  farmer  enjoy  life  with  greater 
zest  than  in  Central  Africa.  Nowhere  can  he  attain  the 
advantages  of  climate,  of  productive  soil  and  of  promise 
for  the  future  as  he  can  there. 

It  is  hard  to  drop  the  subject  of  Central  Africa — I  con- 
fess to  being  an  enthusiast  about  it.  Many  and  many 
times  I  lie  in  bed,  thinking  of  the  glorious  excursions 
through  that  beautiful  district.  I  can  see,  over  and 
over  again,  the  wonderful  beauty  of  the  valleys  th-rough 
which  I  passed;  I  can  see  the  happy  native  kraals  with 
their  freedom  from  care  and  their  prosperity;  I  can  see 
the  great  fertile  places  untilled  and  calling  for  the  pre- 
sence of  man  and  joy  of  production,  and  I  make  up  my 
mind  to  go  there  again  before  I  finish  my  work  on  this 
side.  It  lingers  in  the  mind  as  beautiful  scenery  always 
does  and  makes  a  joy  of  its  own. 

It  will  be  a  happy  day  when  the  railroad  goes  through 
the  districts  with  its  burden  of  eager  and  optimistic 
settlers  and  if  one  may  venture  upon  a  prophesy,  never 
were  settlers  more  satisfied  with  their  lot  than  they  will 
be  who  take  possession  of  the  valleys  and  fields  of  Cen- 
tral Africa. 

This  consideration  of  my  wanderings  in  Central 
Africa  brings  me  to  the  recollection  of  travels  elsewhere, 


particularly  in  Australia,  and  I  had  perhaps  just  as  well 
deal  with  them  here  as  at  any  other  time. 


AUSTRALIA 

It  was  in  the  early  eighties  that  I  went  to  Australia. 
I  had  the  gold  fever  very  badly,  and  I  was  as  keen  after 
the  yellow  metal  as  anyone  ever  was.  That  was  before 
South  Africa.  Experience  and  common  sense  had  put 
new  ideas  into  my  head  and  I  had  discovered  that  there 
was  something  better  in  life  than  burrowing  all  the  time 
with  one's  head  in  the  hole  on  the  off-chance  of  making 
a  stake,  a  stake  which,  by  the  way,  is  very  seldom 
materialized.  A  great  gold  excitement  had  struck  one 
of  the  southern  colonies,  and,  like  thousands  of  others,  I 
started  headlong  for  the  fields.  Then  I  set  to  work  at 
the  usual  game,  digging  prospect  holes  erery where. 
They  were,  as  a  fact,  never  anything  but  prospect  holes, 
for  I  was  not,  by  any  means,  successful  as  a  miner. 

The  desire  for  farming  possessed  me  very  strongly  in 
spite  of  my  mining  experience  and  I  watched  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  country  from  the  agricultural  standpoint 
very  closely  as  I  passed  through,  and  I  saw  many  beau- 
tiful farms  and  orchards  and  fields  of  rich  waving  grain. 

There  is  little  doubt  of  the  prosperity  of  the  average 
Australian  farmer.  His  farm  is  kept  in  good  order.  He 
has,  as  the  Englishman  has  everywhere,  a  comfortable 
house  and  he  is  fairly  well  equipped  with  the  world's 
goods.  He  works  very  hard,  however,  and  is  thrifty, 
and  his  success  may  be  fairly  ascribed  to  these  qualities. 


In  many  parts  of  the  country  the  land  is  heavily  tim- 
bered. The  soil  is  of  a  dark  brown  color  and  very  rich 
in  most  places.  But  there  is  one  difficulty  that  stands 
like  a  shadow  over  Australian  farming;  that  is  the  ab- 
sence of  water.  It  is  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the  de- 
velopment of  Australia,  that  there  is  no  steady  supply  of 
water,  upon  which  reliance  can  be  placed  without  re- 
sorting to  irrigation.  Great  irrigation  works  have  been 
constructed,  however,  and  have  redeemed  great  dis- 
tricts, so  that  the  outlook  is  more  promising  than  it  was, 
but  still  the  creation  of  great  works  necessitates  a  great 
company  behind  them.  Such  irrigated  land  has,  how- 
ever, been  frequently  found  to  possess  many  advantages 
for  cultivation,  and  comfortable  fortunes  have  been  made 
by  farming  it. 

The  price  of  land  is  not  extortionate.  Farming  lands 
cost  from  five  to  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre.  The  farmers 
find  no  difficulty  in  getting  a  market  for  their  produce 
and  the  chances  of  exportation  increase  every  year.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  striking  facts,  in  connection  with  the 
enterprise  of  the  Englishman,  that  the  commodities  of 
Australia  in  the  way  of  perishable  farm  produce  and 
even  dairy  produce  and  fruit  command  a  ready  sale  in 
the  British  markets.  This  comes  partly  from  the  prompt- 
ness which  they  are  despatched  and  partly  from  the  pains- 
taking skill  with  which  the  commodities  are  packed,  so 
as  to  retain  their  freshness  and  flavor.  The  canning  and 
refrigerating  business  is  a  staple  industry  of  the  Colonies. 
Thousands  of  carcasses  of  sheep  and  rabbits  are  cut  up 

-[291- 


and  frozen  and  shipped  to  foreign  countries,  The  Aus- 
tralians have  even  turned  their  plague  of  rabbits  to  prac- 
tical account,  and  sell  them  by  the  million  to  the  home 
population. 

Mountainous  and  desert  regions  form  a  greater  part  of 
the  Australian  continent.  This  area  is  about  2,970,000 
square  miles.  The  highest  mountain  is  7,500  feet 
high  and  is  known  as  Mount  Kosciusko.  The  only 
great  river  is  the  Murray,  which  is  1,550  miles  long  and 
drains  an  area  of  270,000  square  miles.  Several  consid- 
erable streams  empty  themselves  into  the  Gulf  of  Car- 
pentaria, while  those  flowing  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  on 
the  east  and  to  the  Indian  Ocean  on  the  west  are  of  con- 
siderable importance.  There  are  several  inland  salt 
lakes,  which  constitute  a  peculiar  feature  of  the  country. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  preempt  land,  as  the  same  laws, 
practically,  are  in  force  as  in  the  United  States.  The 
people  are  exceedingly  kind  to  strangers  and  of  a  most 
hospitable  and  generous  nature.  The  same  opinion  may 
be  expressed  about  the  New  Zealanders  and  the  Tas- 
manians.  In  fact,  the  geniality  of  the  Australasians  is 
most  marked,  and  that,  coupled  with  my  African  ex- 
periences, leads  me  to  consider  this  a  marked  characteristic 
of  the  British  colonists  wherever  they  may  be  found. 
Their  entire  freedom  from  any  prejudice  against  the 
colored  people  is  one  of  the  most  striking,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  one  of  the  most  charming  of  their  traits.  A 
man  goes  at  his  value  in  the  Colonies,  independent  of 
his  nationality.  Good  conduct  and  industry  are  all  that 

-[30]- 


is  required  to  establish  a  standing,  and  the  people  that 
chose  a  Hindoo  to  represent  one  of  their  great  London 
constituencies  will  never  let  the  color  of  one  of  their 
subjects  be  a  bar  to  the  rise  of  that  subject. 

Australia  is  much  noted  for  its  sheep.  Their  fatness 
and  the  fineness  of  their  wool  have  won  them  an  inter- 
national reputation.  One-fourth  of  all  the  sheep  in  the 
world  are  raised  in  Australia.  Horses  also  are  reared  in 
great  numbers  and  there  is  a  tremendous  export  of  them 
to  India  annually. 

Such  are  a  few  unsatisfactory  and  general  statements 
about  this  great  Australian  continent,  which  is  now  or- 
ganized into  one  great  Federation,  but  which  preserves, 
to  a  wonderful  degree,  its  loyalty  and  affection  to  the 
British  Empire,  and  which  sends  its  sons  to  battle  for 
the  old  country  for  the  sake  of  the  old  association  and 
not  for  any  benefit  of  its  own.  This  is  a  wonderful  fact, 
one  of  the  most  striking  in  modern  history  and  one  that 
will  be  pointed  to  with  wonder  by  the  future,  how  an 
Empire,  unable  to  maintain  her  sons  at  home,  yet  re- 
tained their  affection  when  they  went  many  thousands 
of  miles  under  new  conditions  and  amid  fresh  surround- 
ings, how  these  sons  made  a  great  country  for  themselves 
at  the  ends  of  the  world,  and  still  loved  the  name  of  the 
land  from  whence  they  had  come,  so  that  they  and  their 
children  called  it  home,  and  they  sent  their  children  to 
fight  for  it  as  their  own  children  had  done.  Such  love 
and  constancy  of  peoples  has  been  seldom  seen — it  is  a 
credit  to  the  motherland  and  to  the  children  whom  she 

-[31]- 


has  raised.  Remembering  this  and  that  the  motto  of  the 
Australian  colonists  is — "Advance  Australia" — we  can 
leave  them  in  the  full  faith  that  they  have  a  great  and 
prosperous  career  before  them,  and  that  whoever  chooses 
to  throw  in  his  lot  with  them  will  not  make  a  mistake. 
They  have  already  taught  the  world  much  in  the  direc- 
tion of  social  legislation  and  they  will  have  other  lessons 
of  much  significance  to  the  world  in  general,  of  which  to 
teach.  In  calling  at  Australia  on  the  way  to  South 
Africa,  one  can  leave  the  southern  continent  behind  and 
return  again  to  the  latter  country. 


CLIMATE  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

There  are  not  any  meteorological  reports  on  South 
Africa.  This  is  not  surprising  when  we  consider  the 
shortness  of  time  which  has  elapsed  since  the  coloniza- 
tion of  that  country  began,  and  the  absence  of  a  service 
approaching  in  accuracy  the  meteorological  department 
of  the  United  States.  It  appears,  however,  as  might  be 
expected,  that  the  temperature  of  the  coast  districts  is 
more  equable  than  that  of  the  plain.  The  mean  daily 
range  between  the  maximum  and  the  minimum  readings 
for  the  coast  is  only  15  )4  degrees.  At  Kimberley  and 
Bloemfontein  it  is  nearly  double  that.  On  the  coast  west 
of  Durban  the  mean  maximum  for  the  month  seldom 
reaches  80  degrees,  whilst  in  Kimberley  it  frequently 
reaches  90  degrees.  We  may  look  at  the  question  of 
emigration  to  South  Africa  from  many  standpoints,  but 


there  can  be  but  one  opinion  upon  it  from  the  standpoint 
of  health.  For  those  who  are  physically  weak  and  are 
yet  obliged  to  earn  a  living,  South  Africa  is  the  very  best 
place  in  the  world.  It  is  impossible  for  the  invalid  to  go 
to  a  health  resort  in  this  country  or  in  Europe,  generally 
speaking,  because  of  the  difficulty  in  obtaining  employ- 
ment, but  South  Africa  is  one  great  health  resort  as  far 
as  the  sick  are  concerned — that  is,  its  climatic  effects 
are  so  beneficial  that  it  has  all  the  advantages  of  the  best 
health  resorts,  and  combines  with  them  the  possibility  of 
making  a  living. 

The  varying  elevation  gives  great  diversity  of  climate 
and  consequently  of  rainfall,  hence  there  is  opportunity 
for  a  great  variety  of  occupations.  It  is  quite  conceiv- 
able, for  example,  that  the  tending  of  sheep  on  the  great 
Karroo  might  easily  prove  too  strenuous  an  occupation 
for  one,  but  such  a  person  has  an  almost  infinity  of  call- 
ings to  draw  from,  and  he  may  devote  himself  to  semi- 
tropical  pursuits,  as  the  growing  of  tea  or  sugar  on  the 
Natal  coast.  I  know  of  no  country  which  offers  the 
same  selection  and  administers  in  the  same  way  to  the 
comfort  or  luxury  required  by  the  individual  appetite. 

Of  course,  it  will  be  remembered  that  as  South  Africa 
lies  south  of  the  equator,  the  seasons  are  the  reverse  of 
our  own.  Thus,  the  summer  extends  from  October  to 
the  end  of  March,  and  the  winter  from  April  to  Septem- 
ber. This,  among  many  other  things,  with  the  news 
received  of  late  from  South  Africa,  has  made  the  world 
perfectly  familiar  with. 

-[33]- 


THE  PLATEAU 

The  coast  plateau,  which  may  be  said  to  form  the  first 
step  in  the  ascent  of  the  continent,  as  it  were,  is  about 
600  feet  in  height  and  varies  from  a  few  miles  in  breadth 
to  fifty.  This  forms  the  broad  base  of  the  great  staircase 
by  means  of  which  we  climb  into  Africa  from  the  sea. 
The  plateau  adjoining  the  west  coast  is  bounded  east- 
ward by  the  irregular  mountains  of  Namaqualand  and 
by  the  Olifant  and  Drakenstein  ranges. 

The  south  coast  plateau  is  of  much  greater  importance 
and  is  divided  from  the  highlands  of  Southern  Karroo 
by  the  Zondereine  L,ange  Bergen,  Outen-iqua  and  L,angen 
Kloof  Mountains.  Further  eastward  the  well-defined 
character  of  the  plateau  becomes  less  obvious,  and,  in 
some  instances,  where  the  base  of  the  mountain  is  almost 
washed  by  the  sea,  it  can  be  hardly  said  to  exist.  The 
intermediate  plateau  of  southern  and  central  Karroo 
is  replaced  by  confined  ranges  of  mountains  and  hills, 
which  are  connected  by  long,  swelling  uplands,  peculiar 
to  this  part  of  the  country.  The  chief  characteristics  of 
this  part  of  the  country  are  warmth  and  moisture.  It  is 
a  mild  and  damp  climate — a  good  climate  for  crops — and 
not  a  very  good  one  for  those  who  suffer  from  pulmonary 
complaints. 

THE   RAINFALL 

The  greatest  rainfall  in  South  Africa  is  experienced 
on  Table  Mountain  itself.  Here  the  fall  is  from  58  to  78 
inches  per  year.  The  average  of  the  whole  of  the  cape 

-134 1- 


peninsula  is  40  inches,  most  of  it  falling  on  the  eastern 
side  of  Table  Mountain.  It  varies,  however,  very  con- 
siderably in  places  only  a  few  miles  distant.  Thus,  in 
1888,  the  rainfall  at  Bishop's  Court  was  82^  inches,  and 
at  the  Town  Hall,  Cape  Town,  only  five  miles  away, 
only  2^/2,  inches. 

Immediately  to  the  east  of  Cape  Town  and  as  far  as 
the  Knysna,  there  is  a  decrease  of  from  15  to  28  inches. 
The  well  wooded  Knysna  is  itself  the  best  wooded  dis- 
trict of  South  Africa,  with  an  average  rainfall  of  40 
inches.  When  we  leave  the  forest  region  for  the  Port 
Elizabeth  region  we  find  a  rainfall  of  21  inches.  But  a 
further  rise  occurs  in  the  forest  clad  slopes  of  the  Kaft- 
rarian  coastlands,  the  rainfall  at  St.  Johns  for  1888  being 
53  inches,  while  at  Durban  the  average  for  fourteen  years 
has  been  about  30  inches. 

The  distribution  of  the  rainfall  is  by  no  means  a  con- 
stant factor;  it  varies  considerably  at  different  seasons. 
Byfar  the  greater  part  on  the  coast  of  Cape  Colony  falls 
during  the  winter  months,  between  April  and  September. 
This  is  very  noticeably  the  case  in  the  west,  where  the 
summer  breeze  from  the  southeast  blows  in  fresh  and 
dry  from  the  Antarctic  seas  and  are  more  inclined  to  take 
in  moisture  from  the  land  than  to  lose  it  by  condensation. 
The  two  hottest  months  are  January  and  February,  and 
these  are  almost  rainless.  At  Cape  Town,  on  the  south 
coast,  the  average  rainfall  for  these  same  two  months,  is 
two  inches.  The  coast  lands  east  of  Port  Elizabeth 
differ  from  Durban  in  this  respect.  St.  Johns  and  other 

-[35]- 


places  in  its  vicinity  receive  most  of  their  rain  in  the 
summer,  that  is,  at  the  time  when  the  rainfall  is  ex- 
pected in  the  Transvaal  and  the  Orange  River  Colony. 
Here  the  winters  are  dry  and  clear  and  the  summers  are 
relieved  by  rains,  which  occasionally  are  rather  violent 
in  their  character,  but  for  the  most  part  gentle  and  re- 
freshing. 

The  percentage  of  humidity  in  the  coast  district  of 
Cape  Colony  averages  75  per  cent  in  the  summer  and  81 
per  cent  in  the  winter  months.  It  is  clear  from  this  that 
the  coast  climate  is  not  well  adapted  to  cases  of  py thisis, 
but  it  is  yet  exceedingly  healthy,  and  many  individuals, 
suffering  from  bronchial  affections  or  whose  blood  is 
tainted  by  consumption,  enjoy  a  degree  of  health  in  this 
part  of  Africa  that  they  could  never  have  had  at  home  in 
England.  Still,  it  is  safer  for  those  who  are  unsound 
and  whose  constitution  is  unsuited  to  a  warm,  dry  cli- 
mate, to  settle  further  inland  and  to  make  their  African 
home  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

The  humid  district  contains  most  of  the  important 
towns,  most  probably  because  it  has  been  longer  settled. 
These  towns  on  the  coast  are  Cape  Town,  Mossel  Bay, 
Knyena;  Port  Elizabeth,  Port  Alfred,  East  London  and 
Durban.  The  towns  of  greatest  elevation  in  the  interior 
of  this  country  are  Malmesbury,  with  an  elevation  of  363 
feet;  Paarl,  405  feet;  Stellenbosch,  364  feet;  Swellendam, 
500  feet;  Caledon,  800  feet;  Riversdale,  200  feet;  George, 
620  feet;  Humansdorp,  360  feet  and  Uitenhage,  170  feet. 

In  the  southern  Karroo'  and  the  warm  Bokke veldt, 
-[36]- 


north  of  the  coast  plateau,  the  ground  rises  more  or  less 
abruptly  to  the  second  plateau,  which  may  be  regarded 
as  lying  between  the  Ywaartbergen  and  the  Coast  Range. 
To  the  west  the  rise  is  gradual  through  the  fertile  Gou- 
dini  Valley.  Here  are  situated  the  towns  of  Worcester, 
at  an  elevation  of  780  feet;  Montagu,  750  feet  and  Rob- 
ertson, 600  feet.  Further  eastward  the  vegetation  and 
the  climate  partake  more  of  the  character  of  the  Karroo, 
the  Oustvoorn  Valley  and  the  many  Kloofs  to  the  east 
being  generally  known  as  the  Southern  Karroo.  In  this 
district  the  chief  towns  are  Leadsmith,  with  an  elevation 
of  1860  feet;  Oudtshoorn,  with  an  elevation  of  1890  feet 
and  Uniondale,  2222  feet.  In  the  eastern  districts  the 
plateau  is  not  so  well  marked . 

In  comparing  the  Southern  Karroo  climate  with  that 
of  the  Castland,  a  very  great  alteration  is  noticeable. 
The  rainfall,  except  in  the  mountain  slopes,  is  much 
less  and  the  range  of  temperature  is  somewhat  greater. 
The  rich  Goudini  Valley  changes  to  bare  and  uninterest- 
ing veldt  as  one  passes  along  to  the  north.  This  veldt 
is  seamed  with  deep  gulleys,  which  are  not  visible  even 
at  a  short  distance.  These  are  the  terrible  places  which 
served  as  rifle  pits  in  the  war.  Here  large  bodies  of 
men  could  hide  all  unseen,  and,  as  the  enemy  came 
within  range,  could  pour  a  heavy  fire  upon  their  foes, 
who  had  no  idea  of  their  whereabouts  and  frequently 
could  not  even  see  where  they  lay  concealed.  This  was  a 
tremendous  obstacle  to  the  invading  force.  So  deep  are 
these  gulleys  that  a  large  body  of  cavalry  could  ride  in 

-[37]- 


them  right  across  the  front  of  the  enemy  without  detec- 
tion and  make  their  attack  at  whatever  part  of  the  ad- 
vance they  might  choose  to  deliver  it. 

These  gulleys  are  dry  and  deep  in  the  dry  season,  but 
in  the  wet  season  they  are  frequently  roaring  torrents, 
down  which  the  turbid  water  flows  in  a  rushing  mass, 
laden  with  the  mud  of  the  veldt.  Beyond  the  gulleys 
and  stretching  against  the  skyline  are  the  masses  of 
barren  looking  mountains,  high  and  forbidding.  No 
greater  change  can  be  imagined  than  from  that  of  the 
fertile  valley  to  the  sterile  veldt  with  its  dry  seamed  sur- 
face and  the  grim  fringe  of  black  and  barren  hills.  The 
steep  sides  of  these  hills  appear  to  be  altogether  destitute 
of  vegetation.  We  have  climbed  from  a  country 
abounding  in  moisture  and  full  of  all  that  a  fertile  soil 
and  a  favorable  climate  can  produce  to  a  district  where 
rain  seldom  falls  and  whose  exterior  is  forbidding  in  the 
extreme.  But  these  valleys  are  by  no  means  as  barren 
as  they  appear  to  be.  On  the  contrary,  the  soil  is  ex- 
ceedingly rich — it  requires  irrigation.  Once  get  water 
upon  it  and  the  appearance  changes  completely.  It  pro- 
duces rich  and  luxuriant  crops,  and  the  preliminary  work 
of  cultivation  over,  well  repays  any  investment  of  time 
or  labor  which  may  have  been  bestowed  upon  it.  Not 
far  from  Worcester  is  a  pass  which  is  renowned  all  over 
the  world  for  its  beauty  and  the  wonderful  attractiveness 
of  its  scenery.  This  is  Mitchell's  Pass,  which  leads 
from  Worcester  to  a  small  plateau  known  as  the  warm 
Bokkeveldt,  on  which  stands  the  village  of  Ceres,  at  an 

-[38!- 


elevation  of  1,493  feet.  This  is  an  exceedingly  salu- 
brious place  and  is  a  sort  of  sanatorium  for  the  invalids 
of  the  towns  on  the  coast.  There  is  always  more  or  less 
gaiety  in  this  little  place  and  there  are  few  prettier  or 
more  charming  resorts  anywhere  in  the  world. 

It  thus  appears  that  rainfall  is  sufficient  everywhere 
to  insure  good  returns.  In  places  where  irrigation  is 
required,  the  water  is  easy  to  get  and  easy  to  store.  It 
does  not  require  any  expensive  machinery  and  the  indi- 
vidual farmer  will  be  able  to  accomplish  it  by  his  own 
efforts,  generally  speaking,  and  thus  avoid  the  depen- 
dence upon  a  company  and  the  consequent  semi-slavery 
which  is  usual  in  irrigated  districts. 

GREAT  OR  CENTRAL  KARROO 

The  great  plain  of  the  Karroo  lies  beyond  the  Zwaartz- 
bergen,  whose  peaks  range  from  five  thousand  to  seven 
thousand  feet  in  height.  For  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  it  runs  from  east  to  west  at  a  level  of  from  two  to 
three  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Its 
northern  boundary  consists  of  the  Nieuwveldt  and  great 
Sneewwberg  ranges.  The  highest  peak  of  these  is 
the  Kompassberg,  which  reaches  to  an  elevation  of 
7,800  feet. 

The  whole  area  of  the  Karroo  is  said  to  extend  for 
100,000  miles.  It  forms  a  great  plateau. 

It  is  covered  with  a  vegetation  known  as  the  Karroo 
bush.  No  more  unlikely  vegetable  ever  existed  than 
this.  It  is  burnt  up  out  of  all  semblance  of  life  by  the 

-[39]- 


summer  heat  until  it  is  dry  and  brittle.  But  its  looks 
belie  it.  It  is  a  great  deal  better  than  its  appearance 
would  lead  one  to  believe.  It  furnishes  good  food  for 
millions  of  sheep  and  goats.  It  is  the  most  unpromising 
material,  with  the  best  effective  results,  that  exists  any 
where,  as  far  as  my  knowledge  goes. 

Nothing  can  be  more  dreary  and  forlorn  looking  than 
the  great  Karroo.  One  cannot  cast  the  eye  over  the 
great  expanse  of  desert  without  a  feeling  of  despair.  It 
is  so  solitary,  so  barren,  so  unutterably  dreary,  that  the 
mind  flies  for  relief  to  the  stern,  forbidding  hills  that 
stand  at  its  extremities.  Yet  people  have  a  great  love 
for  the  Karroo.  The  natives  there,  both  colored  and 
white,  think  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  world  that  can 
compare  with  his  beloved  Karroo.  It  repays  the  farmer 
who  will  bring  water  to  the  thirsty  soil.  It  is  a  good 
deal  better  than  its  appearance,  as  is  so  much  of  that 
part  of  South  Africa,  for  there  is  no  alkali  in  the  soil  to 
set  at  nought  the  effort  of  the  tiller.  The  vegetation 
disappears  altogether  in  the  hot  season;  the  water  in  the 
gullies  dries  up  and  the  ironstone  Kopjes  reflect  the 
burning  heat  from  their  surfaces  as  from  a  mirror.  The 
farmer's  dam  for  the  storage  of  water  will  put  him  be- 
yond the  reach  of  all  the  harm  that  the  summer  can  do. 
His  flocks  will  be  able  to  get  ample  water,  and  his  garden 
and  the  fields  surrounding  his  homestead  will  derive  all 
that  may  be  necessary  from  the  water  stored  by  him. 
The  possibilities  of  this  country  are  best  observed  after 
the  spring  rains.  Then  the  whole  face  of  the  Karroo  is 


a  carpet  of  wonderful  verdure;  the  flowers  spring  every- 
where. The  little  farms  that  looked  so  cheerless  in  the 
summer  now  peep  from  their  shelter  of  trees  and  shrubs, 
and  seem,  what  in  reality  they  are,  the  homes  of  a  happy 
and  industrious  people.  Africa  is  the  land  of  contra- 
dictions and  there  is  in  it  no  greater  contradiction  than 
the  apparent  sterility  of  the  Karroo  and  its  real  possi- 
bilities of  cultivation. 

The  prevailing  summer  winds  are  from  the  north  and 
northwest.  These  are  generally  laden  with  dust  and 
are  exceedingly  disagreeable.  They  are  followed  as  a 
rule  by  thunder  storms,  which  pour  great  torrents  of 
rain  upon  the  thirsty  soil  and  supply  a  large  portion  of 
the  moisture.  In  the  night  time  cool  breezes  blow  from 
the  southeast  and  make  a  welcome  relief  to  the  discom- 
fort of  the  day.  The  rainfall,  such  as  it  is,  occurs  be- 
tween the  months  of  December  and  May.  In  the  west 
the  yearly  average  is  about  ten  inches,  increasing  to 
eighteen  inches  in  the  east.  The  winters  are  bright  and 
clear.  The  nights  are  cold,  with  the  thermometer  fre- 
quently below  freezing  point,  and  the  mountain  tops 
are  frequently  covered  with  snow.  The  snow,  however, 
never  lies  on  the  plains. 

The  mean  daily  range  of  temperature  is  great,  show- 
ing a  variation  of  about  twenty-seven  degrees.  The 
coldest,  month  is  July,  which  has  a  mean  maximum  of 
thirty-six  degrees.  The  hottest  month  is  January  with 
a  mean  maximum  of  eighty-seven  degrees.  Physicians 
recommend  the  climate  of  the  Karroo  in  the  winter  as 
being  particularly  suited  to  those  suffering  from  pul- 


monary  troubles,  but  as  the  winter  season  there  coincides 
with  the  summer  season  in  Europe  in  point  of  time,  it 
is  somewhat  unusual  for  patients  to  visit  the  country  at 
that  season. 

In  the  summer  the  heat  is  not  felt  nearly  so  much  as 
one  would  anticipate.  The  dryness  of  the  air  seems  to 
prevent  the  heat  from  causing  that  exhaustion  which  is 
generally  associated  with  it.  It  must  be  admitted,  how- 
ever, that  the  sandstorms  are  a  real  drawback. 

The  principal  towns  in  this  district  are:  Beaufort 
West,  with  an  elevation  of  2,850  feet;  Prince  Albert, 
2, 1 20  feet,  Lillowmore,  2,760  feet;  Graaf  Reinet,  2,500 
feet;  Somerset  West,  2,400  feet  and  Aberdeen,  2,850 
feet. 


THE  NORTHERN  KARROO 

The  Northern  Karroo  stretches  inland  from  the  Great 
Karroo.  It  has  an  elevation  of  from  2,800  to  6,000  feet 
above  the  sea  level.  Of  this  country  the  famous  Dr. 
Baird  says: 

"There  cannot  be  said  to  be  any  marked  division  of 
the  year  into  spring,  summer,  autumn  and  winter; 
rather,  it  may  be  described  as  a  long  summer  and  a  long 
winter.  The  former  begins  rather  suddenly  about  the 
month  of  September,  increases  till  January  and  then  de- 
creases till  the  end  of  April,  while  the  latter  may  be  said 
to  last  from  the  end  of  April  till  the  month  of  September." 

The  chief  towns  of  this  district  are:  Cradock,  2,856 
feet  (this  is  one  of  the  principal  health  resorts  in  the 

-[42]- 


colonies  and  is  tamous  foi  its  dry  climate);  Queenstowb 
and  Tarkastad  are  two  other  important  places  in  the 
same  region.  Dr.  Symes  Thompson,  in  speaking  of  this 
district,  says  that  the  air  is  splendidly  suited  to  con- 
sumptives, and  mentions  the  fact  that  a  knife  may  be 
left  for  a  year  on  the  veldt  and  not  have  any  rust  upon 
it  when  taken  in.  Aliwal  North  is  another  famous 
place  for  invalids. 

Griqualand  West  is  another  district  of  Cape  Colony, 
lying  in  the  Northern  Karroo  and  possessing  the  same 
climatic  peculiarities,  to  which  reference  has  already  been 
made.  In  the  Eastern  Uplands,  the  town  of  Grahams- 
town  is  also  recognized  as  a  health  resort,  but  the 
climate  is  not  so  dry  and  does  not  possess  those  advan- 
tages for  the  constitution  ally  weak  as  do  the  towns  which 
have  been  already  mentioned. 

Basuto  Land  is  the  centre  from  which  flow  all  the 
important  rivers  of  South  Africa.  The  Tugela,  the  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Vaal  and  the  St.  John's  are  all  replen- 
ished from  the  streams  which  abound  in  the  mountains 
and  valleys  of  this  district.  Some  of  the  mountains 
attain  an  altitude  of  12,000  feet.  The  scenery  is  very 
beautiful  and  the  country  has  been  called  the  Switzer- 
land of  South  Africa.  The  climate  of  Natal  is  warmer 
than  that  of  the  eastern  provinces,  particularly  at  the 
coast  line.  A  wind  blows  in  the  summer  during  the 
day  time  and  dies  again  at  night,  and  in  this  respect  the 
climate  of  Durban  very  closely  resembles  that  of  San 
Francisco.  The  ground  rises  very  rapidly  from  the  sea, 

-[431- 


as  may  be  shown  by  the  fact  that  Maritsburg,  which  is 
only  ninety  miles  from  the  sea,  is  2,200  feet  above  the 
sea  level. 

The  Orange  River  Colony,  formerly  known  as  the 
Orange  Free  State,  lies  to  the  north  of  Natal  and  the 
Eastern  Provinces,  at  a  height  of  from  4,000  to  5,000  feet 
above  the  sea  level.  The  area  covered  by  this  country  is 
about  50,000  square  miles  of  plain,  nearly  entirely  devoid 
of  timber,  except  for  scrub  brush,  such  as  willow  and 
mimosas  along  the  banks  of  the  streams.  The  staple 
industries  of  this  district  are  horse  and  cattle  raising 
and  sheep  breeding.  The  chief  town  is  Bloemfontein, 
which  is  an  exceedingly  desirable  place  for  those  suffer- 
ing from  pulmonary  troubles,  as  the  air  is  mild  and  dry. 
Bloemfontein  has  an  elevation  of  4,500  feet.  For  the 
purpose  of  the  visitor,  Kronstad  is  the  best  town  in  the 
Orange  River  Colony.  It  possesses  a  stream  which 
allows  of  boating  and  bathing,  quite  an  unusual  luxury 
in  South  Africa.  It  is  well  wooded,  which  is  also  not 
the  rule,  and  is,  hence,  most  sought  after.  It  is  situated 
on  a  small  tributary  of  the  Vaal  River. 

The  Transvaal  lies  to  the  north. of  the  Orange  River 
Colony  and  is  separated  from  it  by  the  Vaal  River,  which 
forms  the  boundary  line  and  gives  to  this  Colony  its 
name.  From  the  Vaal  River  the  ground  rises  to  the 
famous  Witwatersrand  Range,  forming  a  watershed  be- 
tween the  Vaal  and  the  Limpopo  Rivers.  The  height 
oi  this  range  is  about  7,000  feet  above  the  sea  level.  To 
the  south  of  the  range  the  climate  is  healthy,  although 

-U4l- 


there  is  a  scarcity  of  good  water  in  parts.  Johannesburg 
is  on  the  southern  slope  of  the  range-  This  is  a  new 
town  calrcu  into  being  by  the  industry  of  mining,  which 
originated  in  the  Rand,  upon  the  discovery  of  the  pre- 
cious metals  and  their  working  by  the  tremendously 
powerful  companies  organized  for  that  purpose.  It  is  a 
town  that  owes  its  inception  to  the  marvelous  energy  of 
the  British  and  American  settlers  and  adventurers.  The 
Americans,  who  have  furnished  South  Africa  with  a 
very  large  proportion  of  the  best  skilled  mining  engineers, 
have  had  considerable  influence  in  this  part  of  the 
country  and  took  part  in  political  movements,  with  the 
result  that  some  of  them  were  threatened  with  death  and 
actually  suffered  imprisonment  for  complicity  with  the 
Jameson  raid,  which  was  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 
foreign  residents  of  the  Transvaal  to  get  possession  of 
the  government. 

Dust  storms  are  very  frequent,  even  in  the  winter, 
and  this  dust  settles  upon  weak  lungs,  thereby  causing 
inflammation  and  frequently  death.  It  is  an  exceed- 
ingly good  place  for  people  with  lung  trouble  to  keep 
away  from.  The  heat  is  not  so  very  great,  but  the  rain- 
fall, which  is  often  heavy,  renders  the  muddy  roads 
almost  impassable,  and,  altogether,  the  place  cannot  be 
described  as  affording  much  comfort.  The  inhabitants 
are  well  enough  aware  of  this,  but  they  are  not  there  for 
comfort  or  because  they  like  it.  The  pursuit  of  rapidly 
acquired  wealth  is  the  great  incentive  which  brought 
them  there  and  still  keeps  them.  And  the  wealth  has 

-Us]- 


been  acquired  in  Johannesburg  in  such  quantities  in  d 
few  years  as  to  make  the  stories  of  fabbled  riches  seem 
ridiculous  by  comparison.  Johannesburg  is  a  town  only 
suited  to  those  who  wish  to  plunge  into  the  troubled  sea 
of  speculation  who  desire  to  accomplish  a  speedy  fortune. 
In  this  sort  of  thing  success  is  a  matter  of  luck,  and  the 
streets  of  Johannesburg  are  frequently  traveled  by  the 
feet  of  the  repentant,  who  have  found  that,  even  here, 
great  wealth  is  not  a  matter  of  certainty,  and  that  if  they 
had  remained  in  quieter  and  less  exciting  pursuits,  they 
might  have  been  better  off  and  would  certainly  have 
enjoyed  a  happier  and  more  contented  existence. 

The  best  town  in  the  Transvaal  for  health  is  Heidle- 
burg.  This  is  very  agreeably  situated  on  the  southern 
slopes  of  the  Rand,  to  the  southeast  of  Johannesburg,  at 
an  elevation  of  about  5,000  feet  above  the  sea  level.  It 
is  considered  the  best  sanatorium  in  this  part  of  the 
country  and  is  much  frequented  by  invalids  from  Pre- 
toria and  Johannesburg. 

Pretoria  is  not  at  all  a  healthy  town.  It  has  been 
placed  in  a  hollow  and  in  the  winter  is  a  veritable 
swamp.  There  is  one  good  feature  about  the  ^»lace, 
however;  it  has  an  excellent  water  supply,  a  condition, 
which  in  the  present  undeveloped  state  of  the  cities  of 
South  Africa,  is  by  no  means  universal.  There  is  a  very 
high  degree  of  heat  in  the  summer  and  this,  coupled  with 
the  rainfall,  which  is  at  times  very  heavy,  produces  a 
mist  not  altogether  pleasant  and  quite  unhealthy  for 
people  with  weak  lungs.  Pretoria  has,  however,  a 

-[46]- 


really  delightful  winter  climate.  The  air  is  fresh  and 
stimulating  in  the  extreme  and  every  requisite  for  com- 
plete enjoyment  is  to  be  found.  The  whole  of  the  north- 
ern Transvaal  district  is  healthy  during  the  winter,  but 
it  is  somewhat  liable  to  malaria  in  the  summer,  for  the 
rainy  season  is  at  the  same  time  hot,  and  this  renders  the 
climate  at  times  very  trying  to  Europeans,  but  an  Aus- 
tralian or  an  inhabitant  of  the  United  States  would  not 
feel  it  particularly.  It  is  not  good  to  live  on  low  ground 
in  the  Transvaal. 

Barberton,  which  formerly  has  a  bad  reputation  for 
fever,  is  now  a  healthy  place,  but  the  region  all  about  it 
is  apt  to  be  malarious,  according  to  European  ideas. 

In  the  former  pages  we  have  been  considering  the 
country  from  the  point  of  view  of  one  with  whom  health 
is  the  first  and  most  important  consideration;  who,  if  not 
an  invalid,  is  yet  obliged  to  consult  his  physical  condi- 
tion and  who  is  able  to  carry  on  ordinary  occupations  in 
his  own  country.  To  such  an  one  it  has  been  my  object 
to  point  out  the  characteristics  of  the  various  districts 
that  he  may  have  some  idea  as  to  which  is  most  likely  to 
be  kind  to  his  particular  malady.  He  will  see  that  there 
are  great  expanses  of  territory  in  South  Africa  which 
contain  within  themselves  the  possibility  of  his  enjoying 
moderate  health  and  engaging  in  the  ordinary  business 
of  life. 

This  must  come  as  a  revelation  to  those  who  have 
been  withheld  by  their  sickness  from  that  work  which, 
after  all,  is  the  main  enjoyment  of  living.  In  South 

-147J- 


Africa,  owing  to  the  pure,  clear  air  of  the  plateau,  the 
lungs,  weary  and  overwrought  with  the  mists  and  smoke 
of  our  cities,  can  find  that  relief  which  enables  them  to 
perform  their  work  effectively,  and  the  whole  body 
strengthened  and  reawakened  by  the  oxygenation  of 
the  blood  responds  to  the  joy  of  living  and  life  takes  on 
a  new  meaning  and  a  new  force. 

These  results  of  the  South  African  climate  I  can  bear 
personal  testimony  to.  I  have  seen  the  poor  broken 
down  product  of  the  London  slum  waken  to  manhood  at 
the  touch  of  the  marvelous  air  of  the  veldt.  If  you  want 
to  see  the  finest  physiques  in  the  world,  the  best  devel- 
oped frames  and  the  most  majestic  gait  and  carriage, 
you  must  go  to  the  colored  races  of  South  Africa.  To 
see  a  young  African  marching  along,  head  erect  and  his 
wonderful  chest  expanded,  his  muscles  standing  -out 
upon  his  limbs,  and  his  firm  stride  and  lofty,  self-re- 
specting carriage,  is  one  of  the  most  striking  of  sights. 

To  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  see  the  colored 
man  in  a  position  of  inferiority,  the  sight  of  the  colored 
man  on  his  own  soil  with  the  sky  above  him  and  his  own 
land  beneath  his  feet  is  one  of  the  most  surprising  of 
sights.  It  is  easy  to  talk  glibly  of  improvment  of  the 
colored  people  but  until  you  have  seen  them  at  home  in 
their  own  native  land  you  cannot  understand  how  fine 
they  are. 

The  sight  of  the  colored  population  would  convince 
any  one  of  the  natural  healthiness  of  the  place. 

-[48J- 


A  man  therefore  who  wishes  to  settle  in  any  of  the 
districts  which  I  have  named  may  safely  do  so  and  con- 
fidently expect  to  reap  the  rewards  of  prudence  and  in- 
dustry, rewards  which  in  my  estimation  are  greater  than 
can  be  obtained  anywhere  else  in  the  world  with  an 
equal  outlay. 

Portuguese  South  Africa  is  decidedly  unhealthy  for 
foreigners.  Delagoa  Bay  is  the  most  healthy  part  and 
that  is  unsuited  to  the  average  man.  Further  north  the 
country  is  swampy  and  malarious  and  is  a  very  bad 
country  to  the  immigrant.  But  even  here  some  allow- 
ances have  to  be  made  for  the  climate  is  not  universally 
dangerous.  It  is  said  on  good  authority  that  though 
the  climate  is  by  no  means  such  as  to  constitute  this 
part  of  the  country  a  health  resort,  it  is  still  not  so  bad 
but  that  miners  and  others  need  to  be  deterred  from 
settling  there  for  climatic  reasons . 

Bechuanaland  goes  in  continuation  of  the  Great  Karro 
north  from  the  Orange  River.  The  elevation  of  the 
plain  is  from  four  to  six  thousand  feet  and  their  rainfall 
is  about  equal  to  that  of  the  Northern  Karro  namely 
about  ten  inches . 

Cereals  grows  very  well  in  this  district.  The  only' 
drawback  is  a  malaria  which  sometimes  makes  itself  felt 
when  first  the  soil  is  broken,  a  condition  which  is  not 
at  all  uncommon  in  subtropical  countries  when  the  soil 
is  broken  for  the  first  time. 

There  is  a  scarcity  of  water  in  the  dry  season  but  a 
careful  use  of  dams  and  other  means  of  saving  for  irriga- 

-[49]- 


tion  would  remedy  that  defect. 

On  the  whole  Bechuanaland  though  a  new  district  is 
not  by  any  means  a  discouring  one  for  the  immigrant 
and  there  will  undoutedly  be  a  future  in  store  for  this 
section  of  the  country. 

German  South  Africa  is  a  further  continuation  of  the 
Bechuanaland  plateau — what  is  generally  known  as 
the  Khalahari  Desert  lies  between  them.  There  is  a 
smaller  rainfall  here  even  than  in  Bechuanaland. 
Though  the  mountains  are  nearly  seven  thousand  feet 
in  height,  yet  so  slight  is  the  humidity  of  this  district 
that  there  are  no  running  rivers,  and  stranger  still  the 
river  beds  are  scarcely  more  than  shallow  depressions, 
although  it  is  said  that  it  is  possible  to  get  water  from 
them  at  a  short  depth  below  the  surface.  Between  the 
mountains  and  the  coast  there  is  a  strip  of  land  from 
fifty  to  a  hundred  miles  in  width  which  consists  of  a 
belt  of  sand,  unhealthy  and  nearly  destitute  of  water. 
It  thus  appears  that  the  German  possessions  are  not 
such  as  to  invite  immigration,  and  this  is  the  case 
exactly.  It  affords  a  very  good  explanation  of  the 
backwardness  of  the  German  colonization.  In  1897  I 
.crossed  from  Portuguese  West  Territory  through  the 
German  Territory  and  over  the  Kalahari  Desert  into 
Cape  Colony.  I  found  the  desert  fairly  well  timbered, 
and  although  I  carried  water  on  pack  donkeys  all  the 
way,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  water  can  be  got  in  the 
desert  in  many  places  at  a  very  slight  depth  from  the 
surface. 

-1501- 


Territory  of  the  British  South  African  Company  covers 
an  area  equal  to  that  of  the  half  of  all  Europe.  Its 
climatic  variations  must  therefore  necessarily  be  great. 
The  railway  was  completed  in  1898  and  thus  has  done 
away  with  a  long  and  very  toilsome  journey.  The 
climate  on  the  whole  is  very  satisfactory.  In  the  high- 
lands the  weather  is  cool  and  invigorating  with  frosty 
nights.  It  is  sometimes  hot  in  summer  but  as  the  hot 
days  are  generally  succeeded  by  cool  nights  it  really 
does  not  render  the  climate  unhealthy.  There  is  not  the 
slightest  reason  why  foreigners  should  not  settle  down 
in  this  country  and  enjoy  the  best  of  health.  There  is 
not  the  terrible  dryness  of  the  Karroo  or  of  Bechuana- 
land  for  rainy  days  occur  every  month  and  as  in  the 
Transvaal  the  rainy  season  is  at  its  height  in  the 
summer.  The  climate  can  only  be  endured  in  the  low- 
lands and  valleys  during  the  dry  season  as  the  rains  and 
floods  render  existence  on  low  lying  ground  exceed- 
ingly disgreeable.  Draining,  however,  and  the  plant- 
ing of  the  Australian  blue-gum  will  have  a  good  effect 
upon  the  climate  in  the  course  of  tinie  and  the  land  will 
become  more  suitable  in  every  respect  for  cultivation. 
The  uplands  may  be  described  as  thoroughly  healthy 
now,  and  such  disease  as  may  occur  is  nearly  always  due 
to  a  careless  mode  of  living  or  to  a  dissipated  condition 
of  life.  The  district  where  the  swamps  and  standing 
water  are  to  be  found  are  naturally  the  most  unhealthy, 
but  it  can  easily  be  seen  that  the  course  of  time  and  the 
settlement  of  the  country  will  obviate  this  drawback. 

-[51]- 


North  of  the  Zambesi  the  high  plateaux  are  good 
places  for  settlement.  The  climate  is  bracing  and  the 
whole  conditions  are  suitable.  In  the  lowlands  how- 
ever and  in  the  valleys  the  tendency  to  malaria  renders 
the  district  unsuitable  for  invalids.  Good  strong  sound 
men  however  can  live  and  thrive  in  any  of  these 
districts 

A  certain  amount  of  attention  to  one's  health  is  neces- 
sary but  such  is  the  case  everywhere.  Undue  exposure 
should  be  avoided  and  habits  of  temperate  eating  and 
drinking  cultivated.  Plenty  of  good  nourishing  food 
should  be  taken,  then  the  immigrant  may  easily  bid 
defiance  to  most  of  the  climatic  obstacles  in  this  part  of 
the  country.  Owing  to  the  altitude,  in  spite  of  its  near- 
ness to  the  equator,  I  have  seen  thin  ice  in  the  months 
of  August  and  September  here,  when  further  south  in 
lower  altitudes  ice  never  appears.  It  may  thus  be  seen 
how  the  attitude  modifies  climate,  more  so  than  in  the 
same  latitude  in  Australia  or  Central  America. 

Nyassaland  includes  that  portion  of  the  territory  of 
the  British  South  African  Company  which  lies  North 
of  the  Zambesi.  These  plateaux  have  a  very  fine 
climate,  and  the  distance  and  the  height  above  the  sea 
level  are  no  drawback.  A  clever  parallel  has  been 
drawn  between  this  part  of  the  country  and  the  north- 
ern part  of  South  America  and  with  the  city  of  Bogota 
in  particular,  which  is  a  large  and  flourishing  city, 
although  situated  at  an  elevation  of  more  than  nine 
thousand  feet  and  distant  from  the  sea  a  hard  journey 
of  more  than  three  weeks  duration. 

-[52]- 


The  rainfall  reaches  an  average  of  seventy-five 
inches,  January  being  the  month  which  has  the  greatest 
fall. 


AGRICULTURAL  CLASSIFICATION. 

The  coast  belt  of  Cape  Colony  is  somewhat  sandy  and 
gravelly  and  is  not  therefore  so  prolific  of  crops  as  is  the 
Karro  district  which  is  probably  as  fertile  as  any  land  in 
the  world.  The  vast  plains  of  the  country  are  practically 
untouched  and  there  are  tremendous  expanses  of  soil 
which  offer  to  the  cultivator  at  least  as  good  returns  as 
could  possibly  be  derived  from  the  famous  prairie  states 
of  this  country,  if  irrigated. 

A  well-defined  wet  and  dry  season  is  generally  admitt- 
ed to  be  the  most  suitable  for  the  raising  of  cereals.  The 
best  wheat-growing  district  of  South  Africa  is  generally 
conceded  to  be  on  the  Western  slopes  of  the  Maluti 
Mountains  in  that  part  of  the  Orange  River  Colony 
known  as  "The  Conquered  Territory  ".  It  lies  at  an 
elevation  of  from  four  to  five  thousand  feet.  The 
average  return  is  estimated  at  thirty  fold  but  in  the 
estimation  of  the  writer  there  are  many  parts  where  a 
much  better  crop  may  be  anticipated  for  an  equal 
amount  of  labor.  Cereals  grow  well  in  the  upper  parts 
of  Natal  but  in  the  lower  mid-lands  the  temperature  is 
too  high  for  these  crops,  and  maize,  sugar,  vegetables 
and  fruit  and  tea  take  their  place.  This  generally 
applies  to  all  the  coast  belt  to  the  north  of  Natal  and  to 

-[53]- 


the  parts  of  the  interior  lying  to  the  north  of  the  Vaal 
River  and  at  a  lower  level  than  from  2000  to  3000  feet 
above  the  sea. 

The  cereals  flourish,  at  all  events,  north  of  the 
Zambesi  River  all  through  the  districts  of  this  elevation, 
and  they  are  of  excellent  quality,  in  fact  African  wheat 
grown  in  these  localities  brings  just  as  good  a  price  as 
any  other  in  the  London  market. 

Maize  or  mealies  as  they  call  it  in  South  Africa  is 
usually  cultivated  by  the  side  of  wheat  or  oats.  Mealies 
forms  the  staple  article  of  food  in  the  Cape  and  the 
Dutch  population  relies  on  it  almost  exclusively :  All 
fruits  and  vegetables,  thrive  and  those  more  delicate 
fruits  which  have  to  receive  the  protection  of  artifical 
heat  and  glass  covering  in  Northern  countries  thrive 
easily  in  the  open  air  at  the  proper  altitude.  Peaches 
and  other  fruits  similar  in  nature  ripen  readily  and 
lapidly  and  preserve  an  excellent  flavor. 

When  we  come  to  examine  the  country  regarding  its 
capabilities  for  stock  raising  we  find  that  the  whole  of 
it  may  be  used  for  that  purpose.  There  is  no  desert 
land  from  Zambesi  to  Cape  Agulhas  if  we  except  the 
shifting  sand-dunes  of  the  German  South  African  pos- 
sessions. It  is  true  that  the  low  valleys  of  the  Trans- 
vaal and  Mashonaland  and  Portuguese  territory  are 
malarial. 

There  is  a  great  variation  as  to  the  number  of 
animals  which  can  be  fed  in  a  given  space.  The  rich- 
est pasturage  is  probably  in  Matabeleland,  Natal,  Basuto- 

-[541- 


land  and  a  portion  of  the  Orange  River  Colony,  West- 
ern Cape  Colony,  the  eastern  part  of  Cape  Colony,  the 
Transvaal,  Bechuanaland,  even  German  Namaqualand 
and  the  Kalahari  desert  are  capable  of  supporting  a 
vast  number  of  animals  and  by  means  of  even  an  ele- 
mentary system  of  irrigation  might  easily  sustain 
thousands  more  herds  than  they  appear  to  be  at  present 
capable  of  doing.  Central  Africa  affords  excellent 
stock-raising  facilities. 

It  thus  appears  that  there  is  every  reason  to  expect 
that  in  the  course  of  a  short  space  of  time  Africa  will 
become  a  famous  agricultural  district.  The  possibi; 
lities  are  all  there,  possibilities  that  are  really  undreamed 
of  except  by  those  who  know  the  country  and  have 
travelled  over  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  able  to  under- 
stand its  tremendous  resources.  The  hidden  lands, 
hidden  that  is  from  the  eye  of  the  casual  traveller, 
which  do  not  go  down  upon  the  map,  and  which  are 
tucked  away  in  little  valleys,  and  sweet  dells  are  in- 
numerable. 

Often  and  often  does  the  voyager  as  he  treks  along 
in  his  great  wagon  drawn  by  the  slow  moving  oxen 
with  sun  in  his  eyes  and  the  pure  African  breeze  blow- 
ing around  him  make  up  his  mind  that  here  he  will  out- 
span,  take  up  his  little  piece  of  land  and  remain.  The 
tyranny  of  the  trail  is  insistent,  however,  and  the 
wagon  moves  along  to  find  another  such  place,  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  last.  This  in  turn  has  its  temp- 
tation and  in  turn  is  left  behind.  But  these  little 

-[55]- 


paradises  are  not  so  easily  disposed  of,  and  the  visions 
of  them  frequently  return  to  tempt  the  traveller  when 
he  has  left  them  far  behind  and  even  when  he  has  de- 
parted to  another  country.  The  absolute  joy  and  peace 
of  these  places  can  never  be  forgotten. 

Some  of  the  African  farms  and  homesteads  are  really 
charming.  Where  the  grass  grows  green  and  the  dam 
is  kept  with  its  steady  supply  of  water,  where  the  corn 
grows  high  and  the  cattle  are  sleek,  few  places  any 
where  can  show  that  charm  and  appearance  of  tranquil 
prosperity  which  is  displayed  by  the  African  farm. 

It  is  the  firm  conviction  of  the  writer  of  this  that 
South  Africa  to-day  offers  better  inducements  for  the 
young  agriculturist  than  any  other  place  in  the  world. 
It  is  a  country  with  a  great  future  before  it.  It  will  be 
a  strong  and  influential  part  of  a  tremendous  empire 
before  long  and  will  richly  reward  all  those  who,  pains 
takingly,  assist  in  hammering  out  its  destiny. 

Experience  is  required  as  everywhere  else  and  the 
man  who  plunges  in,  ignorant  of  the  country  and  unin- 
formed as  to  the  best  way  to  further  his  own  interests, 
agriculturally,  is  more  than  likely  to  pay  the  penalty  of 
his  rashness.  All  information  that  is  possible  is  supplied 
by  the  Government,  and  the  immigrant  may  be  sure  of 
not  being  discriminated  against.  There  is  an  absolute 
fairness  shown  by  the  Imperial  Government  which  all 
who  have  seen  it  must  bear  witness  to.  There  is  a  very 
evident  determination  on  the  part  of  the  officials  to  do 
their  duty  and  that  independent  of  any  conditions  of 

-[56]- 


race  or  color.     What  this  means  to  men  of  my  race  may 
easily  be  imagined. 


GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION. 

A  few  words  on  the  geological  formation  of  Africa 
may  be  of  service  to  some  of  my  readers  at  all  events. 
It  is  remarkably  uniform.  The  plains  of  the  interior 
consist  of  sedimentary  deposits  lying  on  a  foundation  of 
granite  or  metamorphic  rock.  There  are  intrusive 
dykes  known  as  ironstone  in  many  places.  These 
spreading  over  and  protecting  the  surface  from  the 
weather  are  frequently  the  cause  of  the  numerous  flat- 
topped  hills  which  are  met  with  so  frequently.  In  the 
Zoutpansberg,  in  Mashonaland,  and  in  Matabeleland 
where  the  sendimentary  deposits  never  existed  or  have 
been  washed  away,  the  dykes  seem  to  have  been  con- 
verted by  pressure  into  schistose  belts  through  which 
have  filtered  the  mineralizing  solutions  forming  the 
quartz  lodes,  which  are  now  being  worked  for  their  gold. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Paarl  in  Cape  Colony  a  portion 
of  the  granite  bed  is  exposed  and  in  others  the  culti- 
vatable  land  along  the  coast  is  largely  composed  of  the 
detritus  which  is  washed  down  from  the  interior. 

One  drawback  to  certain  portions  of  South  Africa  is 
hailstorms.  These  sometimes  pass  over  large  portions 
of  country  and  do  a  great  deal  of  damage.  Very  little 
care  has  been  taken  to  discover  any  method  of  meeting 

-[57]- 


these.  They  have  been  taken  as  entirely  unavoidable. 
In  the  valley  of  the  Loire,  in  France,  it  has  been  found 
that  large  masses  of  trees  serve  as  a  protection  from  hail 
to  the  country  lying  between  them.  This,  it  has  been 
suggested,  should  be  taken  advantage  of  when  the  time 
comes  for  a  scientific  foresting  of  portions  of  South 
Africa  upon  a  large  scale. 

Such  is  a  fairly  accurate  account  of  natural  phenomena 
as  far  as  can  be  told  in  a  work  of  the  size  of  the  present, 
and,  short  as  it  is,  should  serve  to  give  the  reader  a 
general  notion  of  the  most  conspicuous  features  of  the 
country. 


SHORT  HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT 

A  little  more  than  four  hundred  years  ago  South  Africa 
was  discovered  by  the  Portuguese  whose  navigators  were 
then,  as  were  the  adventurers  of  other  countries,  on  the 
lookout  for  an  ocean  route  to  India.  This  effort  to  find 
a  new  route  to  the  Orient  resulted  in  the  discovery  of 
the  American  continent  on  the  one  hand  and  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  on  the  other.  The  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
was  at  first  called  the  Cape  of  Storms.  Vasco  di  Gama, 
the  discoverer  of  the  cape,  after  he  had  named  it,  passed 
along  up  the  Coast  and  came  upon  the  lovely  country  of 
Natal  on  Christmas  day,  whence  he  called  it.  He  sailed 
right  up  the  coast  and  reached  Delagoa  Bay.  This  is 
the  only  part  of  the  Portuguese  possessions  which  now 
remains  in  the  hands  of  the  original  discoverers.  From 

-[581- 


there  the  discoverer  passed  over  to  the  shores  of  India 
and  thus  found  the  new  route  which  he  had  set  out  to 
seek,  so  that,  originally,  Portugal  was  the  owner  of 
South  Africa. 

Holland  took  these  possessions  from  Portugal  in  the 
course  of  the  next  century  and  established  herself  as  the 
dominant  power  of  South  Africa.  The  following  century 
saw  the  downfall  of  Holland  as  a  power  and  the  rise  of 
the  new  force  of  England.  The  whole  of  Western 
Europe  was  a  scene  of  turmoil  and  strife,  and  there 
emerged  from  the  confusion  the  gigantic  figure  of  Na- 
poleon, with  England  grappling  with  him  and  endeavor- 
ing to  overthrow  him.  This,  thanks  to  the  new  machine 
industry  which  enabled  Great  Britain  to  produce  wealth 
faster  than  Napoleon  could  destroy  it,  she  eventally 
succeeded  in  doing,  and  the  great  emperor  fell,  -leaving 
Great  Britain,  in  spite  of  the  loss  of  the  American 
colonies,  practically  master  of  the  world.  These  con- 
flicts were  not  without  influence  upon  South  Africa. 
Here  the  Hollander  colonist,  unprogressive  and  caring 
only  for  the  tending  of  his  flocks  and  the  ministering  to 
his  comfort  of  a  subject  native  race,  lived  a  life  un- 
touched by  the  fight  going  on  in  the  world  outside,  a 
condition,  however,  from  which  he  was  destined  to  be 
soon  rudely  Awakened.  In  1795,  Great  Britain  took  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  from  Holland — in  this  case,  merely 
as  a  precautionary  measure,  in  order  to  save  it  from  the 
French,  for  in  1802  she  returned  it  to  Holland.  In  1814 
a  final  transfer  of  the  country  was  made  by  Holland  to 


England,  by  which  England  agreed  to  pay  thirty  million 
dollars  for  all  the  Dutch  possessions  in  South  Africa. 
The  bargain  was  made  and  England  paid  over  the  cash 
to  Holland  and  received  in  return  these  African  posses- 
sions,   which    have    ever    since    remained    as   British 
colonies.      A  migration  of  British  took  place  to  South 
Africa  upon  the  annexation  of  the  country.      This  in- 
vasion of  Dutch  soil  was  made  by  a  people  altogether 
the  reverse  of  the  Dutch  in  character.     They  were  as 
energetic  and  progressive  as  the  Dutch  were  retrogres- 
sive.     They  had  no  particular  love  for  the  herdsman's 
form  of  living  and  took  more  naturally  to  commercial 
pursuits  and  the  tilling  and  farming  of  the  land.     They 
formed  steady  and  fixed  communities  and  did  not  adopt 
the  nomadic  life  of  the  Dutch.     Thus  there  grew  up  in 
South  Africa  two  entirely  different  races  with  altoghter 
different  notions  of  life.     The  one  progressive,  and  per- 
haps somewhat  arrogant  in  the  consciousness  of  its  pro- 
gressiveness,  the  other  slow,  and  resentful  of  the  enter, 
prise  of  the  other,  full  of  suspicion,  and  apt  to  brood 
over  fancied  wrongs.     These  race  differences  combined 
with  governmental  mistakes  to  bring  about  one  of  the 
fiercest  wars  of  modern  times  nearly  a  century  after  the 
occupation  of  the  country  by  the  English. 

It  was  in  this  entire  difference  of  national  character 
that  those  seeds  of  misunderstanding  and  hatred  were 
sown  which  produced  a  crop  of  bloody  strife,  and  which 
have  caused  so  much  ruin  and  desolation.  They  lived 
side  by  side,  but  they  could  not  make  one  people.  Th<* 


English  came  in,  founded  their  settlements,  and  began 
to  improve  things,  but  the  Cape  Hollander  could  not 
tolerate  improvement,  and  as  the  settlements  grew  in 
size  and  in  importance,  trekked  off,  further  and  further, 
into  the  wilderness  driving  his  flocks  and  herds  before 
him  and  remaining  true  to  his  old  nomadic  and  pas- 
toral life. 

In  the  course  of  time,  the  Dutch  farmers  trekked  over 
into  what  is  now  known  as  Natal  and  before  doing  so 
issued  a  manifesto  in  which  they  declared  that  they  had 
severed  their  connection  with  the  British  government. 
They  founded  a  republic  and  began  to  make  war  upon 
the  natives.  The  constant  disturbance  of  the  native 
races  might  have  easily  led  to  a  race  war  which  would 
have  endangered  the  safety  and  stability  of  South 
Africa.  Accordingly  the  British  government  took  a 
hand  in  the  business  and  after  defeating  the  Boers  took 
possession  of  the  country  and  made  Natal  a  British 
Colony,  a  colony  the  loyalty  of  which  has  recently  been 
shown  in  war,  as  it  was  invaded  and  a  large  part  of 
it  overrun  by  the  enemy. 

The  Boers  or  Dutch  farmers  having  been  driven  out 
of  Natal,  for  they  would  not  remain  under  a  settled  and 
modern  form  of  government,  went  to  the  country  in  the 
Orange  River  district,  and  there  began  the  same  course 
of  conduct  with  the  natives  as  had  distinguished  them 
in  Natal.  They  were  driven  out  of  this  district  again, 
in  consequence,  and  crossed  the  Vaal  River  into  what  is 
known  as  the  Transvaal  where  they  set  up  a  govern- 

[-61]- 


ment  and  being  remote  from  the  British  colonies  re- 
mained to  follow  their  own  devices. 

The  occupation  of  these  territories  by  the  British  was 
an  expensive  matter  which  involved  much  trouble  to  the 
mother  country,  and  was  only  carried  out  because  the 
practices  of  the  Boers  with  regard  to  the  natives  kept 
affairs  in  a  continual  state  of  agitation  which  was 
menacing  to  the  safety  of  the  community.  In  1852 
what  was  called  the  Sand  River  Convention  was  held. 
According  to  the  terms  of  this  convention  the  Boers 
agreed  to  give  up  the  practice  of  slavery  and  to  behave 
in  such  a  manner  to  the  native  population  as  not  to  out- 
rage the  fundamental  conceptions  of  right  and  justice. 

In  1854  the  Boers  of  the  Orange  River  territory  agreed 
to  the  same  terms  and  the  Transvaal  and  Orange  Free  State 
were  created  as  two  independent  Dutch  Republics,  that 
is  independent,  as  far  as  the  internal  administration  was 
concerned.  But  things  were  in  an  unsatisfactory  condi- 
tion in  spite  of  this  arrangement .  The  Boers  would  not 
live  up  to  their  agreement  respecting  the  natives  and 
kept  invading  native  territory,  burning  native  villages, 
and  carrying  off  the  native  children  into  servitude  until 
at  last  the  native  races  would  no  longer  endure  the 
tyranny  and  rose  in  anger. 

Secocoeni,  the  great  leader  of  the  Bechuanas  took  the 
field  and  waged  successful  war,  then  other  tribes  joined 
in  and  notably  Cetewayo,  the  Zulu  chief,  so  that  the 
colony  was  threatened  with  destruction,  and  the  English 
Imperial  government  took  the  field. 

-[62 |- 


So  strong  was  the  native  hatred  against  the  Boers  and 
so  completely  was  the  country  threatened  with  ruin  that 
Sir  Theophilus  Shepstone,  the  English  envoy,  and  Mr. 
Burgess,  the  president  of  the  Boer  Republic,  agreed  that 
the  only  thing  which  could  benefit  the  country  was  its 
occupation  by  the  British,  and  2,500  burghers  petitioned 
for  annexation  to  England.  So  the  Transvaal  was  an- 
nexed and  the  war  with  the  natives  which  followed 
ended  in  the  pacification  of  the  country. 

The  rest  of  the  story  is  known  to  all  my  readers.  It 
is  too  recent  and  has  been  written  in  letters  too  plain  to 
read  not  to  be  the  property  of  all  of  you.  It  is  written 
in  blood  and  fire.  The  sword  has  carved  it  out  and  the 
deadly  fire  of  cannon  and  rifle  has  burned  it  into  the  im- 
perishable granite  of  history.  The  dread,  the  suffering 
and  the  anguish  of  the  past  two  years  are  known  only 
to  those  who  have  seen  them,  to  those  who  have  borne 
an  active  part  in  the  fray.  The  end  of  it  is  near,  how- 
ever. The  time  must  necessarily  be  but  short  until  the 
last  shots  shall  have  been  fired  and  South  Africa  shall 
have  entered  upon  her  course  of  reconstruction  and 
recreation. 

There  will  arise  a  South  Africa  by  the  side  of  which 
the  old  shall  seem  but  a  bad  dream.  The  time  will 
come,  and  soon,  when  every  man  shall  feel  himself  free, 
as  every  other  man,  and  the  whips  and  slavery  practiced 
upon  the  colored  people  shall  at  least  cease  to  plague 
and  annoy  them. 

-[63]- 


It  will  be  found  in  South  Africa,  as  elsewhere,  that 
the  Imperial  government  is  the  friend  of  the  colored 
man — that  he  will  be  able  to  enjoy  under  the  aegis  of  the 
British  Empire  rights  which  he  cannot  obtain  in  other  parts 
of  South  Africa.  If  he  gets  the  right  of  suffrage,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  he  will  get  it,  he  will  find  that  he  will  be  able 
to  exercise  it  free  from  the  insults  of  his  fellow  citizens  and 
that  no  one  dare,  on  the  pretense  of  discriminating 
against  his  color,  deprive  him  of  those  rights  which  have 
been  conferred  upon  him  by  special  legal  enactment. 

The  establishment  of  the  British  Empire  throughout 
the  whole  of  South  Africa  means  that  the  color  mark 
will  be  no  impediment  to  the  rise  of  the  colored  races,  or 
such  of  them  as  show  sufficient  capacity,  to  the  very 
highest  offices  in  the  church  and  the  state.  Education 
will  come  as  the  government  becomes  settled,  and  the 
colored  people  will,  as  far  as  in  them  lies,  be  free  to  all 
that  can  be  obtained  for  them  in  the  direction  of  modern 
culture  and  education,  and,  as  a  result,  we  shall  see,  for 
the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world,  a  people  fresh 
from  the  soil  sprung,  as  it  were,  immediately  from  prim 
eval  conditions  into  the  very  highest  and  the  best  that 
modern  life  can  bestow. 

There  is  very  little  doubt  on  the  part  of  those  who  are 
aware  of  the  capabilities  of  the  colored  people  and  their 
wonderful  adaptability  that  the  African  races  will  seize 
the  opportunity  presented  to  them  and  will  gradually 
come  to  be  a  more  and  more  important  figure  in  the 
N history  of  nations.  Such  is  no  doubt  the  hope  and  the 

-[64]- 


desire  cf  the  builders  of  the  British  Empire  who  have 
always  shown  a  most  praiseworthy  endeavor  to  do  the 
best  that  has  lain  in  their  power  for  the  native  people. 

It  is  impossible  to  deny  that  mistakes,  and  grievous 
ones  have  been  made,  but  the  fundamental  intention  has 
been  of  the  highest  and  no  one  is  better  aware  of  that 
than  the  native  races  of  South  Africa.  Their  attitude 
in  the  war  has  shown  that  completely.  It  has  required 
much  prudence  on  the  part  of  the  British  authorities  to 
prevent  the  native  races  coming  actually  to  their  assis- 
tance. 

The  tribes  have  shown  no  hesitation  about  declaring 
their  preferences.  This  in  itself  speaks  volumes  for  the 
efforts  of  the  Imperial  government  and  is  a  conclusive 
proof  that  the  natives  recognize  as  fully  as  anyone  else 
where  their  best  interests  have  lain. 

To  colored  people  in  my  humble  opinion  South  Africa 
offers'  the  best  opportunity  in  every  way  that  has  ever 
yet  been  given.  As  one  of  the  race  who  sympathise 
heart  and  soul  with  all  its  best  aspirations  I  have  not 
the  slightest  hesitation  in  stating  that  I  consider  that 
country  in  every  way  the  best  field,  not  only  as  regards 
its  agricultural  and  commercial  prospects,  but  as  far  as 
concerns  the  highest  interest  of  the  individual. 

Of  course  in  recommending  the  country  I  do  so  on  the 
assumption  that  those  who  accept  the  recommendation 
to  go  there  will  go  to  work.  Rewards  in  South  Africa 
do  not  come  to  the  lazy  and  the  shiftless  any  more  than 
they  do  to  such  people  anywhere  else,  but  South  Africa 


does  unmistakeabiy  hold  out  her  hands  with  the  promise 
of  plenty  to  those  who  go  in  the  proper  spirit,  intending 
to  work  resolutely  and  to  hold  up  the  best  that  is  in 
them  and  in  their  race.  Of  that  I  do  not  think  that 
there  can  be  the  slightest  doubt,  and  I  feel  sure  that  the 
weight  of  authority  in  South  Africa  would  support  them 
in  this  matter.  The  country  is  new,  its  resources  as  the 
reader  may  easily  judge  from  what  has  already  been 
said  are  practically  inexhaustible.  The  promise  is  in- 
finitely beyond  what  I  have  been  able  to  tell  you  in 
these  short  pages,  and  the  future  is  rosy  with  promise. 
South  Africa  has  not  yet  begun  to  live.  When  peace 
has  returned,  when  the  Imperial  government  is  one  and 
aU  supieme  we  shall  see  such  an  awakening  as  has  never 
yet  manifested  itself  in  that  country  and  the  epoch  of  the 
development  of  its  resources  will  have  really  begun. 


INTERESTING  PARTICULARS  ABOUT  TREKKING  NORTH 


Interview  with  Mr.  Geyser 

A  representative  of  the  Bulayo  Chronicle\L&&  an  interview 
with  Mr.  L.  Geyser,  one  of  the  signatories  to  the  letter 
sent  to  the  Deputy  Administrator,  a  copy  of  which 
appeared  in  last  Friday's  issue,  giving  details  of  the  ex- 
pedition undertaken  by  several  farmers  in  March  last  to 
Sincolumi's  Iyand,  some  150  miles  north  of  the  Zambesi 

-[661- 


L  °F 

in  a  line  almost  direct  north  of  Bulawayo.  The  object 
of  this  letter,  it  may  be  remembered,  was  to  ascertain 
whether  the  British  South  Africa  Company  would  be 
able  to  extend  their  protection  to  the  proposed  settlers. 
Mr.  Geyser,  who  is  practically  the  leader  of  the  expedi- 
tion, imparted  some  interesting  details  of  the  journey, 
the  nature  of  the  country  the  party  intend  to  settle  in, 
etc.  Mr.  Geyser  and  the  other  farmers  to  whom  the 
paramount  chief  N'Shetta  (Monza)  has  granted  farms 
free  of  charge,  are  setting  out  on  their  journey  to  their 
new  homes  on  or  about  the  i5th  August,  and  they  in- 
tend taking  their  families  up  with  them.  The  party 
will  probably  be  joined  by  new  members  who  are  desir- 
ious  of  accepting  the  chief's  offer,  and  are  willing  to 
comply  with  his  requirements  as  to  settling  down  and 
cultivating  the  land  themselves.  N'Shetta,  who  appears 
to  appreciate  the  value  of  having  the  resources  of  his 
country  developed  by  white  men,  informed  Mr.  Geyser 
that  he  would  welcome  any  white  men  who  came  up 
with  a  view  to  settling  in  the  country  and  cultivating  it, 
and  gave  the  latter  carte  blanche  in  the  matter  of  bring- 
ing up  suitable  white  men,  to  whom  farms  would  be 
granted.  As  regards  the  duration  of  the  trip  up,  Mr. 
Geyser  said  that  it  would  take  them  at  least  two  months 
to  get  up  with  their  trek  wagons,  as  the  road  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  journey  is  very  bad  indeed.  The 
route  to  be  taken  is  almost  due  north  from  Bulawayo, 
crossing  the  Shangani  River  and  then  on  across  the 
Zambesi  to  a  distance  of  some  150  miles.  It  is  satis- 

-[67]- 


factory  to  note  that  Mr.  Geyser's  experience  of  this 
route  is  that  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  water  is  to  be  en- 
countered; and  with  regard  to  the  nature  of  the  country 
where  it  is  proposed  to  settle  and  its  inhabitants,  he 
says  that  the  former  consists  for  the  most  part  of  high 
veld,  which  is  eminently,  in  his  opinion,  adapted  to  the 
raising  of  cattle  and  sheep,  but  more  especially  for  the 
Cape  bastard  sheep  and  goats.  As  a  grain-growing 
country  it  appears  also  to  be  admirably  suited.  The 
natives  are  most  friendly  towards  white  men.  N'Shetta 
stated  that  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  Mr.  Geyser's 
party  was  the  third  time  only  that  white  men  had  come 
into  his  country  within  the  memory  of  any  of  the  in- 
habitants; the  first  party  came  up  many  years  ago  in 
his  father's  time,  and  the  second  some  time  last  year.  The 
inhabitants  appear  to  be  wealthy  in  cattle  and  prosper- 
ous generally,  and  this  bears  out  Mr.  Geyser's 
opinion  as  to  the  capabilities  of  the  country.  Our 
informant  anticipates  no  difficulty  in  the  new  settlers 
being  able  to  stock  their  farms  with  cattle,  etc. 
obtained  by  barter  with  the  natives.  Sincclumi's 
country  appears  to  be  a  sportsman's  paradise.  The 
party  came  across  wildebeest,  zebras,  hartebeest,  eland, 
sable,  bastard  gemsbok,  and  a  quantity  of  smaller  game. 
In  addition  they  saw  the  spoor  of  buffalo  and  giraffe, 
and  on  frequent  occasions  they  heard  lions  and  met  with 
their  spoor,  but  these  carnivora  caused  no  trouble  what- 
ever, due  probably  to  the  abundance  of  game.  Whether 
the  British  South  Africa  Company  promise  protection  or 

-[631- 


not  to  the  settlers  in  their  new  home,  the  latter  intend 
to  go  up,  as  they  are  of  the  opini(  n  that  there  will  be 
little  risk.  The  whole  party  received  very  kind  treat- 
ment at  the  hands  of  the  natives  when  they  arrived  in 
the  country  suffering  severely  from  Zambesi  fever  con- 
tracted through  their  having  gone  up  in  the  early  part 
of  the  year.  Mr.  Geyser  and  another  member  of  the 
party  had  to  be  left  behind  when  the  remainder  started 
on  their  return  journey,  and  they  were  treated  with  the 
greatest  consideration. 

SLAVERY  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA 

From  the  beginning  of  their  occupation  of  the  country 
the  Dutch  settlers  had  practiced  slavery,  and  that  of  the 
very  worst  description.  As  early  as  the  year  1658  this  prac- 
tice was  legalized  by  their  legislative  body;  henceforth, 
it  was  perfectly  lawful  for  the  Dutch  to  hold  slaves  and 
they  were  protected  to  the  utmost  in  their  property 
rights.  Henceforward  the  relations  of  the  Dutch  with 
the  natives  were  full  of  the  most  horrible  cruelty.  Raids 
were  made  continually  on  the  inoffensive  tribes,  their 
villages  were  burned,  their  flocks  destroyed,  and  they 
themselves  driven  out  as  prisoners  and  slaves.  They 
were  denied  the  most  elementary  rights.  The  treatment 
of  the  slaves  by  them  was  brutal  in  the  extreme.  They 
exported  them  for  sale  in  foreign  countries  as  well  as 
used  them  for  their  own  farms  and  the  care  of  their 
stock.  This  practice  went  on  unchecked  for  a  period  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  every  attempt  to  miti- 

-F691- 


gate  the  barbarities  of  the  trade  was  met  by  them  with 
resentment,  as  if  it  were  an  invasion  of  their  rights. 

In  1833  the  British  Parliament  passed  an  act  by  which 
it  was  provided  that  from  and  after  the  first  of  January, 
1834,  the  holding  of  slaves  should  cease  absolutely  and 
entirely  throughout  the  British  dominions.  On  that  day 
therefore,  some  40,000  South  African  slaves  were  set 
free.  The  greater  number  of  these,  by  far,  were  held  by 
the  Dutch.  $5,000,000  was  voted  from  the  Imperial 
Treasury  as  compensation  to  those  farmers  whose  slaves 
were  emancipated  under  the  act.  This  emancipation  of 
the  slaves  caused  much  ill  feeling  among  the  Dutch,  who 
resented  it  exceedingly,  and  several  mistakes  were  made 
in  the  matter  of  the  distribution  of  the  compensation 
money,  so  that  great  irritation  arose  among  them,  and 
this  led  in  its  turn  to  the  first  trek  into  Natal  and  the 
establishment  of  a  republic  there,  the  fate  of  which  I  have 
already  described.  Here,  however,  the  Dutch  still  pur- 
sued their  ill  treatment  of  the  native  races. 


LIBERIA,  THE  COLORED  REPUBLIC 

The  Hon.  William  H.  Beard,  minister  resident  and 
consul  general  of  the  United  States  to  Liberia,  has 
written  an  exceedingly  interesting  account  of  that 
country.  From  the  introduction  to  his  work  the  follow- 
ing is  taken: 

*  'LIBERIA  (liberty)  is  situated  in  West  Africa  be- 
tween 4° 20'  and  7Q2o'  north  latitude.  It  was  founded 

-[701- 


In  1822  as  an  asylum  for  the  liberated  and  free  blacks  of 
North  America,  by  the  American   Colonization  Society 
in  the  United  States — an  organized  expression  of  the  v 
Christian  philanthropy  of  that  county, 

"The  first  pieces  of  land  bought  from  the  natives  were 
a  small  island,  known  as  Providence  Island,  lying  in  the 
Messurado  river,  near  its  month,  and  the  Cape  Messu- 
rado,  on  which  Monrovia,  the  capital  city,  now  stands, 

"Every  succeeding  year  the  society  sent  out,  in  chart- 
ered  vessels,  people  of  color,  as  they  were  liberated  by 
their  masters  in  America  and  who  desired  to  return  to 
their  ancestral  home.  The  increase  of  population  made 
it  necessary  for  the  acquisition  of  more  territory,  hence 
the  boundary  of  the  colony  was,  from  time  to  time,  ex- 
tended to  600  miles  of  sea  coast  and  250  miles  interior- 
wards.  Since,  however,  the  French  took  the  Cavalla 
country,  the  sea  coast  is  reduced  to  509  miles. 

"This  home  was  not  founded  simply  as  a  refuge  from 
the  bitter  oppression  of  America,  to  which  the  colored 
man  was  subject,  but  that  an  opportunity  might  be  given 
them  on  the  soil  of  their  fathers,  to  exercise  their  God- 
given  powers  in  developing  real  manhood  in  every 
sense  of  the  word;  and  also  that  they  might  teach  their 
brethren  in  Africa  the  way  back  to  God. 

"The  government  of  the  colony  was  for  the  most  part 
in  the  hands  of  white  men  sent  out  from  America  by  the 
society,  with  the  title  of  governors  until  it  was  declared 
a  republic.  Then,  and  until  now,  colored  men  have  ruled. 

"The  aborigines,  being  superstitious,  and  further,  be- 

471}- 


ii^g  demoralized  by  unprincipled  Spaniards,  who  at  that 
time  carried  on  a  lucrative  traffic  on  the  west  coast,  in 
,  that  curse  of  curses,  slavery,  naturally  resisted  the  colon- 
ists for  a  long  time.  They  could  not  readily  conceive 
that  the  settling  of  these  people  in  their  midst  would  be 
beneficial  to  them.  Having  no  moral  conception  of  the 
terrible  misery  they  were  entailing  upon  their  people  by 
selling  them,  they  thought  only  of  the  seeming  gain  that 
was  accruing  to  them  by  the  traffic,  and  hence  they  were 
prepared  to  resist  any  and  every  agency  that  would  have 
a  tendency  to  undermine  the  nefarious  barter.  The 
colonists,  however,  strugged  on  to  maintain  power  and 
prestige,  enduring  untold  hardships  and  sufferings,  the 
contingencies  of  war,  poverty  and  inexperience,  until 
they  were  masters  of  the  situation.  The  result  of  their 
sweat,  blood,  tears  and  prayers  is  the  republic  of  Li- 
beria, the  only  free  and  independent  home  that  the 
colored  can  call  his  own  in  all  Africa. 

"This  republic  was  founded  in  1847  after  the  colony 
had  existed  twenty-five  years.  The  society  withdrew 
its  supervision  and  left  the  people  of  the  colony  to  their 
own  government,  and  on  the  26th  day  of  July  of  the 
year  named  they  declared  themselves  a  free  and  inde- 
pendent nation.  Since  the  declaration  of  independence, 
the  republic  has  been  recognized  by  and  is  in  treaty 
stipulation  with  all  the  powers  of  Europe  and  the  United 
States  of  America. 

"England  was  the  first  to  extend  the  hand  of  fellow- 
ship to  Liberia  as  a  nation. 

-[721- 


'"'The  republic  is  modelled  after  that  of  the  United 
States  .of  America,  having  three  co-ordinate  branches  of 
.government;  viz.,  executive,  legislative  and  judicial. 
The  executive  is  composed  of  the  president  and  his 
cabinet;  the  legislative,  of  a  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives; the  Judiciary,  of  the  supreme  and  superior 
ccurts. 

"The  republic  is  divided  into  four  counties;  namely, 
Montscrrado,  Grand  Bassa,  Sinoe  and  Maryland,  and 
the  counties  are  divided  into  towns  and  villages.  There 
are  many  denominations  in  Liberia,  endeavoring  to  do 
Christian  work  on  apostolic  lines.  They  1  uild  their  own 
churches  and  the  ministers  preach  the  gospel  and  sup- 
port themselves  with  their  own  hands.  One  denomination 
alone  has  founded  thirty-one  churches  and  three  schools 
for  the  training  of  the  3  ouths  of  the  country;  others  are 
doing  more  or  less,  according  to  their  ability.  The 
government  partially  supports  about  forty-six  schools 
that  are  open  to  all  without  chaige: 

"Liberia  is  struggling  to  maintain  its  existence  and  to 
hold  up  the  light  of  Christianity  to  its  own  people 
through  poverty  and  inexperience.  For  forty-nine  years 
it  has  existed  as  a  nation,  and  during  that  time 
thousands  of  the  aborigines  have  been  brought  under  the 
influence  of  Christianity  and  civilation,  and  to-day  they 
are  clothed  and  in  their  right  minds  and  enjoying 
Christianity. 

The  most  northerly  point  of  Liberia  is  Cape  Mount. 
This  is  a  mountain  lying  on  the  sea  but  is  quite  fertile. 


Coffee  Is  grown  upon  it  and  Is  covered  with  prosperous 
gardens  and  farms. 

On  this  mountain  more  fruits  are  grown  as  well  as 
vegetables  than  are  consumed  during  the  year.  The 
land  shows  indications  of  iron,  silver  and  gold  in 
abundance. 

The  country  is  productive  of  palm  oil  pysava  and 
palm  kernels. 

Roysville  grows  coffee  and  sugar  cane  and  all  fruits 
and  vegetables  known  to  this  part  of  the  country. 

Brewersville  is  very  fertile,  the  main  product  being 
coffee.  The  chief  minerals  are  coppei  and  silver. 

Virginia  is  famous  for  its  coffee  farms. 


DISCOVERY  OF  OPKIR 

LONDON,  August  i,  1901. — Dr.  Carl  Peters,  the  German 
explorer,  writes  to  the  Times  declaring  his  belief,  as  a 
result  of  his  discoveries  in  South  Africa  during  the  last 
two  years,  that  the  country  between  the  Zambesi  and 
the  Sabi  is  the  Ophir  of  Solomon. 

From  traces  of  Egyptian  civilization,  he  believes  the 
mining  district  was  originally  discovered  by  Egyptians 
and  that  there  was  an  Egyptian  colony  there  before  the 
Phoenicians  took  the  country,  between  1000  and 
1 100  B.  C. 

He  intends  at  an  early  date  to  lay  all  his  evidence 
before  the  public. 

-[741- 


THE  COLORED  RACES  OE  SOUTH  AFRICA. 


The  Basutos  are  large  wheat  growers  as  well  as  stock- 
raisers.  They  have  many  tradesmen  among  them  and 
they  possess  several  industrial  schools,  in  fact  they  are 
progressing  in  industries  of  every  description.  It  is  a 
complete  contradiction  of  the  oft-repeated  fallacy  regard- 
ing inferior  races  that  the  Basutos  should  apparently  of 
their  own  initiative,  have  adopted  some  of  the  most  use- 
ful and  the  best  features  of  civilization.  They  are  a 
very  brave  people  and  maintained  their  right  to  the 
retention  of  their  rifles  in  spite  of  the  objections  of  the 
colonial  government  on  the  one  hand  and  that  of  the 
Boers  on  the  other.  They  have  shown  that  they  are 
able  to  make  a  wise  and  discreet  use  of  their  power  and 
of  their  opportunities  and  in  the  following  of  their 
example  by  the  mass  of  the  original  inhabitants  lies  the 
hope  of  the  native  races  and  the  security  and  peace  of 
South  Africa. 

When  we  consider  the  native  races  of  South  Africa 
one  of  their  most  striking  characteristics  is  their  natural 
and  inherent  love  of  music.  It  is  a  delight  to  watch 
them  during  the  rendering  of  modern  musical  composi- 
tions. They  are  absorbed  in  the  pleasure  of  it.  There 
does  not  appear  to  be  any  doubt  that  if  they  had  an 
opportunity  they  would  readily  adopt  a  musical  training 
and  might  have  In  their  midst  the  possibilities  of  actual 
musical  creators.  They  have  however  no  field  for  the 
exercise  of  their  talents,  as  they  have  no  teachers,  and 

-[75]- 


from  my  own  experience,  I  feel  assured  that  there  are 
many  worse  opportunities  for  teachers  of  music  than  are 
to  be  found  among  the  colored  races.  They  are  docile, 
obedient,  respect  their  teachers  and  learn  readily.  The 
colored  races  are  by  no  means  sunk  in  the  mire  as  is  so 
frequently  imagined;  they  are  alert,  alive,  and  full  of 
ambition,  and  the  most  intelligent,  thoroughly  aware  of 
the  value  of  civilization.  Many  of  them  would  be  glad 
to  have  an  opportunity  of  higher  education  but  the 
native  schools  are  limited  to  the  third  and  fourth  stand- 
ards, about  the  equivalent  to  our  third  grade  of  the  same 
number.  Loved  ale  College,  however,  and  a.  few  other 
institutions  of  a  similar  character  in  Cape  Colony,  have 
taken  up  higher  education,  and  at  these  places  the 
native,  who  can  afford  to  undertake  the  course,  can  get 
all  the  advantages  of  modern  education. 

The  great  and  crying  need  in  South  Africa  for  the 
native  is  colored  teachers.  These  would  form  the  best 
kind  of  teachers  for  the  colored  races  and  by  reason  of 
their  racial  kinship  would  be  more  acceptable  than  white 
teachers  could  ever  be.  Thousands  of  colored  young 
men  and  women  are  being  turned  out  of  the  American 
colleges,  full  of  all  the  blessings  which  a  higher  educa- 
tion can  bestow.  In  Africa  thousands  of  the  very  pick 
of  the  colored  race  are  craving  eagerly  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  acquire  even  the  rudiments  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion. It  seems  somewhat  a  pity  that  they  cannot  be 
brought  more  closely  together. 

-[76]- 


There  is  so  little  done  for  the  girls  in  South  Africa  that 
it  seems  as  if  a  great  handicap  were  being  placed  upon  the 
future  development  of  the  colored  people.  Socially  and  edu- 
cationally the  girls  of  the  native  races  are  much  neglected. 
They  have  no  opportunities  to  get  out  of  the  rut  of  hard 
and  unlovely  toil  to  which  they  are  compelled  to  submit. 
They  are  naturally  smart  and  industrious,  but  their 
native  gifts  are  wasted  from  the  lack  of  a  chance  to 
develop  them.  Very  few,  indeed,  of  them  ever  have  the 
chance  of  learning  skilled  occupations  and  thus  they  are 
compelled  to  a  life  of  exceedingly  disagreeable  and  wear- 
ing toil.  They  have  to  do  the  most  laborious  of  tasks, 
No  work  is  too  hard,  too  dirty  or  too  rough  for  a  native 
African  woman.  This  is  all  the  more  distressing,  as  the 
women  have  had  an  opportunity  of  comparing  their  lot 
with  that  of  their  more  favored  white  sisters  and  feel 
the  contrast. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  all,  or  an  overwhelming 
majority  of  the  colored  people  of  South  Africa,  are  of 
pure  blood.  In  the  Cape  Colony  they  have  been  in  touch 
with  the  European  element  for  nearly  300  years,  and 
have  mixed  with  them  to  such  an  extent  that  all  shades 
of  color  are  to  be  found  among  them.  The  native  lan- 
guages of  these  people  have  become  extinct  in  the 
course  of  time,  and  they  speak  Dutch  or  English- 
mostly  Dutch,  however,  as  the  Dutch  were  the  first  to 
amalgamate  with  the  natives. 

This  discussion  of  the  subject  of  the  position  of  the 
native  races  in  these  districts  may  not  be  altogether 

-[77]- 


called  for  by  the  subject  in  hand,  but  we  all  recognize 
its  importance.  It  is  the  thought  that  lies  nearest  to  the 
heart  of  all  of  us  and  it  is  a  good  opportunity  to  let  you 
know  my  views  on  the  subject  of  the  position  of  the 

lored  races  in  South  Africa. 

There  is  a  wonderful  future  for  these  people.  They 
have  in  their  hands  the  destiny  of  that  part  of  the  world. 
Upon  their  power  to  develop,  to  receive  all  that  modern 
progress  can  teach  them  01  culture,  and  of  intelligence, 
rests  the  growth  of  the  African  people.  Never,  in  the 
history  of  the  world,  has  the  colored  race  had  such  a 
chance.  I  feel  confident  that  it  will  make  the  very  best 
use  of  its  opportunities.  Already  it  is  clamoring  for 
admission  to  schools  and  colleges,  and  step  by  step  it 
will  grow  to  greater  heights  of  power  and  responsibility. 

When  we  consider  the  shortness  of  the  time  which  the 
people  of  South  Africa  have  had,  the  turbulent  history 
of  that  part  of  the  country  and  the  newness  of  every- 
thing, it  must  be  admitted  that  the  colored  race  has 
shown  a  wonderful  power  of  adaptation  and  has  made 
better  progress  than  could  have  been  expected.  But,  in 
order  to  fully  grasp  what  it  can  do,  we  must  give  it 
more  time,  peace,  a  period  of  relative  piosperity  and 
open  schools  and  we  shall  see  such  an  unfolding  of 
natural  powers  as  we  have  not  anticipated,  and  the 
colored  race  will  begin  to  take  that  part  in  the  share  of 
the  government  to  which  their  numbers  and  the  pro- 
gress of  the  people  entitle  them. 

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